Giving Back Important For Preston & Steve’s Kathy Romano

Levittown native Kathy Romano made a name for herself through her part of the “Preston and Steve Show” every morning on rock station 93.3 WMMR. Over the years, Romano has used her platform to give back.

On Friday morning, Romano and a number of the region’s top hair stylists will descend on TruBeauty Concepts Beauty Center on Street Road in Upper Southampton for the 11th annual Kathy’s Cuts event. The morning benefit will collect hair for Wigs for Kids, a nonprofit that provides real-hair replacements for kids suffering from cancer, burns, alopecia, and a number of other medical conditions.

The genesis for the event came 11 years ago when Romano was planning to cut her long hair and had an idea.

“I thought there had to be something that could be done. I didn’t want my hair to be swept up,” Romano recalls.

In talking with morning show hosts, Preston Elliot and Steve Morrison, they encouraged her to save her hair and donate it to help make wigs for kids who could use a boost of self-confidence. They also rounded up a few friends and listeners and held the first Kathy’s Cuts in a vacant office in the same building as their studio.

From there, the event has grown over the years and has collected well over 1,000 ponytails, Romano said. She added the minimum length of the hair donated is 12 inches.

Friday’s event is already booked full and stylists from Gravity Hair Salon, Salon Fiber, and David Arnold Hair Salon will be on hand at TruBeauty Concepts to collect ponytails and offer a free style to those who donate. In addition, each participant will receive a goodie bag. Romano will be on hand broadcasting from the salon for the show.

“The wigs [that Wigs For Kids makes] look real and are beautiful. They give the kids confidence and self esteem,” Romano said.

Over the years as Romano has been part of collecting hair to donate to Wigs For Kids, there have been numerous people who have returned when they get their hand long enough. In the past, two male teachers have grown their hair out and returned to get their hair cut together and also a young girl who grew out her hair have been repeat customers.

Monetary donations for Wigs For Kids can be made at the event Friday. In addition, a portion of sales for special T-shirts sold recently through WMMR will be sent to the nonprofit.

Romano said the support from the cast of the “Preston and Steve Show” has provided a major boost for the charitable event.

The on air team of Elliot, Morrison, Casey Foster, Nick McIlwain, and Marisa Magnatta are the same in-person as they are on the air, Romano told LevittownNow.com.

“We have a chemistry on the air that just works well together,” she said.

“We all genuinely like each other, and we have this group text outside of work where we’re constantly laughing.”

Elliot and Morrison have been partners on air in Philadelphia for 20 years and the show has remained among the top rated in the region.

Romano, who joined in 2003 after working as a fill-in traffic reporter on NBC 10, noted how rare it is for a group of radio personalities to stay on the air together at one station for more than a few years.

“This – us being together – usually doesn’t happen,” she said.

While Romano has moved from defunct alternative station Y-100 to rocker WMMR in 2005 with the team, she said one of the show’s greatest strengths is its ability to interact with listeners. Whether Kathy’s Cuts, the annual blood drive, the Campout For Hunger, or a number of the other events they take part in, Romano said the team is not afraid to stick around the talk.

In addition to her spot on the “Preston and Steve Show,” she also hosts “Her Story” Sunday mornings at 7:30 a.m. on Ben FM, WMMR’s sister station.

This Saturday, Romano will host a luncheon in Philadelphia where she will interview celebrity cook and talk show host Rachael Ray for an upcoming edition of “Her Story.”

The weekly show, according to Romano, gives her the opportunity to sit down with dynamic women and have a conversation.

Romano, whose husband is the principal of William Tennent High School in Warminster, keeps busy with her work, charitable pursuits, and raising her son but still finds time to make it back to Lower Bucks County.

The native of Falls Township’s Levittown section and a Pennsbury High School graduate said she still visits friends and family in the area.

“I know its filled in, but I’m still a LPRA girl,” Romano said with a laugh, recalling the community pools that were spread throughout Levittown.

Romano said she still dances salsa at La Luna Dance Studio, visits Sesame Place and Shady Brook Farm, grabs a bite at Carlucci’s Grill on Big Oak Road, and even returns to get her nails done in Levittown.

“My nail girl is great, so I drive back for that,” she said.

Romano lives with her son and husband in Montgomery County and recently had her parents move nearby after years in Levittown.

“I had a great childhood there. I loved high school and still have plenty of friends in Bucks County. It’s still home.”