Lawrence and the surrounding communities stepped forward Sunday night and pledged more than $26,000 to the continuing effort to help the victims of Hurricane Katrina.

The pledges were made during “Hurricane Katrina: We Care,” a two-hour live telethon by Sunflower Broadband’s 6News. The telethon featured a number of local and area community and business leaders and celebrities who answered a bank of 10 telephone lines. Phones were answered until the end of the 10 p.m. 6News broadcast.

The final total $26,400 will be evenly split between the American Red Cross and the Salvation Army.

The response to the telethon said a lot about the people in this area, 6News Director Cody Howard said.

“We were amazed and overwhelmed with the response we got, not only from the Lawrence community, but also the other towns 6News and Sunflower Broadband serves,” Howard said.