BOSTON -- In the devastating aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, WCVB-TV Channel 5 and Citizens Bank are joining forces to dedicate a day to provide viewers information on volunteering or donating money for relief efforts.

Relief Fund Five will kick-off Friday morning with live segments and public service announcements every hour to benefit the American Red Cross.

EyeOpener co-anchor Heather Unruh will begin Relief Fund Five efforts live at 7:27 a.m. During the morning pledge drive, Robert E. Smyth, chairman and president and CEO of Citizens Bank of Massachusetts, will encourage viewers to donate by visiting their local branch office or online at citizensbank.com.

NewsCenter 5’s Natalie Jacobson, Ed Harding, Anthony Everett, Susan Wornick, Liz Brunner, JC Monahan, Jorge Quiroga and Pam Cross and Chronicle’s Mary Richardson and Peter Mehegan will ask viewers to help victims of one of the worst natural disasters in our nation’s history. WCVB General Manager Bill Fine and other community leaders will also join the effort.

Sunday night at 9 p.m., WCVB will broadcast the annual Jerry Lewis MDA Telethon. The MDA has announced plans to donate $1 million of its funds to hurricane victims. In addition, MDA and Channel 5 will dedicate the first four and last four hours of the telethon to aid relief efforts.

About Citizens Bank

For viewers interested in making direct donations, Citizens Bank of Massachusetts has more than 260 branches and 640 ATMs stretching from greater Boston to Cape Cod and the Berkshires. It is headquartered at 28 State Street in Boston. In a 13-state region, Citizens has more than 1,600 branches, approximately 3,100 ATMs and more than 27,000 employees in its retail branch network and non-branch offices in more than 30 states.