Des Moines Media Group

Anyone need some Girl Scout Cookies?  STAR 102.5’s Girl Scout Cookie Buyout, presented by The Learning Post & Toys, surprised 10 Central Iowa Girl Scout Troops and bought $102 in cookies at each stop!

With over 500 entries, there was no shortage of possibilities to accumulate 170 boxes of Thin Mints, Caramel Delights, and all your other Girl Scout Cookie favorites! From Ankeny to Osceola, Des Moines to Indianola… Ken, Kurt & Tawinee made sure the selected Girl Scout Cookie Troops got that much closer to reaching their goals (and they might have bought a bunch of boxes for their own personal consumption as well)!

All cookies were donated to the Food Bank of Iowa.

LAZER’s 10th annual Walking Fed Food Drive to benefit the Food Bank of Iowa was one for the record books. Together with our dedicated “LAZER Hellraisers,” we were able to raise nearly $29,000, which helped create nearly 5,800 backpack sacks for kids who are food insecure across Central Iowa.

Team LAZER created several different opportunities for listeners to donate throughout the 3-week campaign. There were online donations, the popular “Challenge Week” with LAZER staff members (some of whom were ‘waxed’ for the cause this year), and several silent auction items, including an autographed guitar signed by Des Moines’ own Corey Taylor of Slipknot and Stone Sour​.

We were also fortunate to have several in-person contributions during our inaugural, day-long “Rock-In” event at the Food Bank of Iowa on the final week of the campaign, in which we broadcasted live from 6 am – 6 pm, and also each pulled volunteer shifts, helping to fill the backpacks we raised money to create.

The Food Bank of Iowa currently has 4,101 students enrolled in the Backpack Program, who rely on them every week for nutrition.

Special thanks to Confluence Brewing Company for their $5,000 match donation – and to our “Rock-In” sponsors, Monsterama and Jay’s CD and Hobby, for their generous contributions as well. Also, to our incredible listeners… we can’t thank you enough for your amazing generosity again this year.

Having set a new fundraising record in 2024, we look forward to finding ways to raise the bar even further in 2025 in our quest to eliminate food insecurity in Iowa.

Food Bank of Iowa needs help year-round. Monetary donations can be made at their website, and you can also volunteer your time there as well.

LISTEN:

 

On Thursday, Feb. 29, STAR 102.5 gathered eight couples from Central Iowa to get married on Leap Day. Weeks leading up to Leap Day, STAR listeners entered for their chance to get married at the Tea Room. Meet the couples that Ken, Kurt, and Tawinee selected to get married:

MEET THE COUPLES:

VIDEOS:

LISTEN: Interviews with the flower girl and with the couples as they walk down the aisle

Thank you so much for sharing your special day with us and being willing to get up this early to get married. Thank you to The Tea Room: it was the perfect setting. It’s truly one-of-a-kind in Des Moines, and it’s breathtaking as soon as you walk in. Thank you to Lori and her awesome staff for making us feel right at home and being such an integral part of the wedding!

Thank you to Destination Grille: to Jonnann and her fantastic team. The prime rib, ham balls, cheesy potatoes, and everything else was delicious! Your crew couldn’t have been warmer and more helpful, and we greatly appreciate it!  We overheard so many compliments on the food from our guests.

To Tom and everyone at Boesen the Florist: Thank you, thank you, thank you! The brides’ bouquets and toss bouquets were jaw-dropping; they looked beautiful in person and in photos.

Sue and her Complete Weddings & Events crew crushed it. Their team of 5-6 were everywhere, capturing everything!  Their attention to detail and getting the shots they needed was impeccable.

Thank you to our good friend Andrew Fuller for making a perfect Leap Day frog cake. It was delicious, and it was a centerpiece of conversation.

Thank you to the Bridal Connection for making our brides feel extra special at the wedding. We appreciate everything, and we know our brides did too!

How cute was our flower girl, Eden? She did awesome… and yes, we made her walk down the aisle all 8 times! GREAT JOB EDEN!

Listen to the stories of people who deserve a Christmas Wish to help make this holiday season a little brighter.

Presented by NCMIC – We Take Care of Our Own.

Listen to the wishes:

  • Wish 1 | From Boone, Cheryl’s friend and hard-working co-worker, Beth, is dealing with a recent cancer diagnosis but is still trying to continue to help others, as she’s always done. Cheryl wants to ensure a Christmas can still be magical for her friend Beth.
  • Wish 2 | Her daughter has had to deal with far too many health problems for a child to endure, and now her mom wants to make sure she has something special that she can call her own.
  • Wish 3 |  A daughter wants to thank her mom for a lifetime of love and support, especially during this difficult time.
  • Wish 4  | Hear a Christmas Wish for a woman who has brought so much joy to others through her sewing machine.
  • Wish 5  |  Hear a Christmas Wish for a woman who helps so many foster kids and wants to ensure that all the trips the kids make are as enjoyable as possible.
  • Wish 6 | Hear a Christmas Wish for a mom who’s making sure every moment counts and every memory is special.
  • Wish 7 | A 7-year-old boy has faced far too many hardships, but with this Christmas Wish, maybe some of his dreams can come true.
  • Wish 8 | Hear a Christmas Wish for the hard-working staff at Orchard Place.

 

LAZER’s 8th Annual Costumes For Kids Drive turns in record-shattering donations!

The goal each year is to get as many Iowa kids in need into Halloween costumes as possible.  In years past, our campaign has helped put many smiles on those faces, but in 2023, we were able to grow our donation delivery exponentially.

Between the generosity of our listeners and our phenomenal partnership with Goodwill of Central Iowa, the LAZER crew delivered a total of 506 costumes and accessories to Children And Families of Iowa, a local non-profit organization that distributes the costumes to kids who wouldn’t otherwise be able to afford one.

We collected new and gently used costumes at the LAZER studios throughout the 4-week campaign and were able to raise a grand total of $5,744.36 through cash donations at the radio station and metro Goodwill of Central Iowa locations.  New this year, Goodwill hosted two “round-up” weekends – one at the beginning of the drive, and one at the end – in which every purchase made by Goodwill shoppers was given the opportunity to “round-up” to the nearest dollar, with all that money going directly to our cause.

With the cash raised, the LAZER staff conducted two shopping trips, which resulted in our record-shattering donation drop at Children and Families of Iowa.

It’s a very HAPPY Halloween, indeed, for area kids in need.

“We’re grateful for all the help we’ve had along the way to make this endeavor a rousing success,” LAZER 103.3 Program Director Andy Hall said Andy Hall said, “And we look forward to the day where every kid who wants to go “Trick-Or-Treating” can do it in style, without the worry of financial hardship.”

93.3 KIOA’s Luke & Jeriney took part in the Celebrity Stein Holding Contest at Des Moines’ 19th Annual Oktoberfest at Lauridsen Amphitheater in Waterworks Park.  The goal was to hold a full stein of beer in front of their body for as long as possible.  Jeriney lasted about a minute and a half and Luke made it about one minute and fifty seconds. While neither one of them won, they didn’t finish last!

Local talent from the Des Moines Radio Group participated in various events at the Iowa State Fair, including judging the Mr. Legs Contest, hosting the Air Guitar and ’80s Hair Contest, participating in the Cow Chip Throwing Contest, hosting Skyglider Speed Dating, and more!
Fair attendants also had the chance to meet their favorite radio personalities, get temporary tattoos, and enjoy family-friendly activities at the KidFind Headquarters, presented by Goodwill of Central Iowa.