In honor of Black History month I scheduled interviews with various people to discuss their achievements, in across the Wilmington area.  To see more stories from her series, go to ​https://www.wwaytv3.com/news-tags/black_history_month/

Amanda will join the  Cucalorus Film Festival Connect Conference Connect Board member.  The 24th annual Cucalorus Festival takes place November 7-11, 2018 in downtown Wilmington, North Carolina.
Cucalorus was founded in 1994 by the underground filmmaking collective Twinkle Doon. At the inaugural event, crowds wrapped around the block to see 16 local films screening at Water Street restaurant by the Cape Fear River. These days Cucalorus takes place every November, celebrating independent and international film for five days in historic downtown Wilmington, NC. MovieMaker Magazine has recognized it as “One of the Coolest Film Festivals in the World” for three years in a row.
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For more info click http://www.cucalorus.org/about/#

New Hanover County Schools held a regional conference for public information officers to learn from local media about how to better communicate. Amanda spoke at the event about how to use school resources to get their stories on air. 
She joined the news director from NBC, program director from Coast 97.3 and the Starnews education reporter.
Participants say they really learned how to better communicate and tips to build a better bridge with journalists.

Amanda attended the NBA All star game weekend in Charlotte, NC in February.  Hundreds came in town to attend pre-game events and the big game.  Amanda attended the Bleacher Report games and the media welcome reception for Nike.  She also met some international journalist and had a great time!

Thousands came out to the Dallas Margarita Ball in Dallas, TX to donate toys and money for charity.  Today they host over 10,000 guests in what has become the largest Black Tie Charity in the World!
And because of this success we are able to assist the At-Risk Children of the Dallas / Fort Worth area and support those local community charities that are on the forefront and in the trenches with these Children! 

Amanda reads the Polar Express book to a group of kids before they get a surprise visit from Santa.  Each year she takes time out to read the book and greet the kids and their families.  This year was no different and many of the kids say they really enjoyed the hot cocoa, visit with Santa and hearing their favorite Christmas book read by Ms. Fitzpatrick.

It was a great night for charity at the Community Boys and Girls Club Champions for Children Gala.  Everyone got a chance to listen to stories from the youth who attend the center. 

Hope Abounds, Inc. held a fundraiser casino themed night to raise money for people with cancer. The evening was a celebration of Hope and included a live & silent auction, dinner and dancing. Hope Abounds is a charitable nonprofit with a simple mission to support every individual battling cancer. Through our service of Patient Advocacy, Educational Programming and Navigation through the cancer journey, no one is ever alone through their fight.  For more click here

It was an honor to emcee the Harnett High School alumni reunion this year in Dunn, NC.  It was a all Black school with grades K-12 during segregation.  Each year the alumni host a fundraiser to raise money for college students who will attend a 4 year college. Amanda's dad John Fitzpatrick was the President and has raised thousands of dollars for students. To apply or donate money email jcfitp@msn.com .

Amanda and her husband created the Wilmington Black Professionals Facebook group as a way to connect minority business owners and employers of minorities in the Cape Fear Area.  The purpose of the group is to create a fun and safe place for networking and to help cultivate relationships in the community.  After Hurricane Florence they knew they had to do something to give back and decided to host a toy and coat drive at KGB bar and lounge in Downtown Wilmington.  Dozens came out to support and more than 80 coats and toys were donated and distributed to two partners for them to be able to give away items to those people impacted by the storm.  If you would like to learn more about the group click here.

Amanda is excited to announce the acts for the upcoming The Great Wilmington Nutcracker Ballet! Get your tickets here https://www.wilmingtonballetcompany.org/

Get ready for the upcoming Community Boys & Girls Club upcoming Champions for Children charity gala on December 14 from 6-11pm.  To buy tickets click here and to read more from the annual event see below:

Last year they hosted a Masquerade ball and casino night fundraiser at the Sir Tyler Terraces in Wilmington.  Amanda was the emcee and participated in the fun by attempting to play a few casino games.  The event was to raise money for the community boys and girls clubs across the area in New Hanover County.  More than a hundred people came out to show their support dressed in their best. 

Amanda will again join Santa and read at this year's Polar Express on December 16th at 5:30pm at the Railroad in Downtown Wilmington.  Make sure you sign up your kids to take part in the festivities. 
TICKETS NOW AVAILABLE!!
 Call today to reserve your spots for the Polar Express Family Shows.  
TWELVE SHOWS to pick from!
http://www.wrrm.org/events.html 
December 8, 9, 15, 16, 22, 23 – 4:30 and 5:30 pm each date.
This warm holiday event is a great way to enjoy the season with a reading
of the classic story by WWAY-TV personalities, 
visit with Santa, and sip on hot chocolate afterward.
Call (910) 763-2634 to reserve and pay for your tickets.
By prepaid reservation, only $5 each, children under age 2 free.


See previous years photos and blog below:
I had a blast reading the Polar Express book to the kiddos as they waited anxiously to meet Santa in Downtown Wilmington.  There were more than a dozen kids, there ages include 3 to 12 years old.  The backdrop of the Train with the conductor and Santa made it a special reading that the kids loved!  I also got a chance to take photos with some of the kids I read too.
The readings take place the week before Christmas each year and my station WWAY is proud to sponsor readers from our on-air team.  
Check out the photos below:

During Hurricane Florence WWAY put out 83.5 hours of live television coverage to viewers before, during and after the storm hit;  Working in 8 hours shifts live on television, the anchors and meteorologist stayed on top of the storm and made sure to keep viewers in the know online and on-air. Behind the scenes crews worked around the clock to get new content in and everyone slept on floors, suffered through loud rain, winds and even a tornado that hit the station.  We were lucky to make it through and here is a photo of some of the help we received from our sister stations after working nearly 10 days straight.

The community pulled together to help Hurricane Florence Victims, led by individuals who wanted to step up and make sure those in low income areas had food, water and supplies.  Amanda and her co-worker Sarah Johnson stopped by Dreams on Fanning Street in Wilmington to drop off and donate supplies and to promote the event.

Amanda will be emceeing along with her on-air colleagues as the Town of Leland Celebrates 29th Birthday this Saturday, September 8, at the Founders' Day Festival!

On Saturday, September 8, the Town of Leland will celebrate its 29th birthday at the Leland Municipal Park, 113 Town Hall Drive from 3:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. Each year on the second Saturday of September, the Town celebrates its birthday with a grand party for the community featuring entertainment, food, a carnival, arts and crafts/business vendors, fireworks and more.  Opening ceremonies and Veteran's Salute will kick off the festivities at 3:00 p.m. and emcees from WWAY will introduce musical performances by Chairmen of the Board featuring Ken Knox, Carolina Soul Band and Cassette Rewind.

Festival patrons are asked to bring their own lawn chairs as seating for the performances will not be provided. For safety and sanitation reasons, pets are not allowed, only registered service animals. Smoking, e-cigarettes and tobacco products are prohibited. Please note there is no parking on site.  Patrons are encouraged to park at North Brunswick High School at 114 Scorpion Dr. and ride the free shuttle to the event. Handicapped Parking will be available at the Habitat for Humanity Restore at 414 Village Rd. where golf cart shuttles will transport guests to the event grounds. If unable to ride a shuttle or walk, please call 910-408-3092. The event will be held rain or shine.

For more details on the event visit https://www.townofleland.com/departments/parks-recreation/founders-day or call 910-408-3092 or e-mail recreation@townofleland.com. 

The 100 Black Men of Coastal North Carolina hosted their first awards and recognition fundraiser breakfast Saturday.  
Amanda Fitzpatrick represented WWAY and got a chance to partner with the organization to mentor a student about television and get news coverage. The event recognized new chapter members and graduating seniors in their student success mentoring program. The money raised goes towards student scholarships, funding college trips and educational events for the students.
Students in their success academy meet two Saturdays each month and learn life and job skills while attending seminars and field trips.  “This is one of those programs that really helped me along, really gave me good inspiration to do more, be more. And it’s just been amazing, and thanks to them, I’m a proper gentleman who’s going off to college, and hopefully might end up in a career in law enforcement,” said award recipient Quamek James.
The members hold workshops weekly at Williston, D.C. Virgo and Leland middle schools to mentor students. Once those students enter high school they can join the success academy.

It was a hot day outside Thursday, but inside Wilmington’s Independence Mall, hundreds of senior citizens got some important info about services and products just for them. It was WWAY’s first ever Senior Expo.

Dozens of vendors showed off their services and Amanda got a chance to meet and greet many viewers.  

The event was organized to bring the community together with good resources and allow them to meet local WWAY talent.