Joni Receives Award for Spreading the Love of Jesus Through Radio

AGOURA HILLS, California, December 18, 2025 – When people are hurting because of disability, there is a voice on the airwaves that understands. When people question God regarding their loved one’s illness, there is a voice that has asked those same questions and offers biblical wisdom. When weary hearts cry out in anguish under the weight of suffering and caregiving, there is a voice that responds with compassion.  

For over four decades, disability advocate Joni Eareckson Tada has broadcast from her wheelchair to share the hard-won lessons of faith she’s learned from living with quadriplegia for nearly 60 years. Paralyzed in a diving accident as a teen, Joni gained recognition for painting high-detail fine art with her mouth, a skill she learned in rehabilitation. She used that platform to share the Gospel, and for the past 43 years, Joni has spread her sustaining faith in Jesus Christ to the world through her radio programs. Joni Eareckson Tada: Sharing Hope and A Moment with Joni are her short-form programs broadcast on nearly 1,700 stations across the country, reaching over one million listeners every week. Instead of offering empty promises, Joni dives deep into the promises of God to draw closer to our Savior amid suffering. 

And we know that every week, there is another family facing a devastating diagnosis, a prolonged illness, or an unexpected injury. Regardless of circumstances, Joni’s radio program has been there to point people to the saving love of Jesus Christ, as well as to practical resources, disability-friendly churches, and her own Christ-honoring ministry, Joni and Friends.  

The Radio Impact Award is presented to a person, station, program, network, or ministry that has illustrated a consistent and unique impact within the Christian radio industry and to the body of Christ as a whole. This honor recognizes Joni’s indelible impact on the radio broadcasting community and its listeners, and for her work in challenging Christian churches to move people with disabilities from the margins to the center.  

Joni was previously honored by NRB in 2002 for Radio Program of the Year, and in 2010 when her Diamonds in the Dust devotional series received the same recognition in the short program category. Joni was also honored with NRB’s 2002 William Ward Ayer Distinguished Service Award. In 2012, she was inducted into the organization’s Hall of Fame.  

Awards and public recognition are not the ultimate priority. However, by honoring and celebrating outstanding facilities, ministries, programs and producers, NRB hopes to inspire others to raise their standards and create more compelling, relevant, and challenging Christian programming as they seek to communicate Christ’s message of hope to the world through media.  

About Joni and Friends: For more than 40 years, Joni and Friends has provided the hope of the Gospel and practical care to people living with disability around the globe. Ministry programs include Joni’s House, Wheels for the World™, Retreats and Getaways, and disability ministry training. Joni and Friends also delivers daily inspirational media through radio programs and podcasts.

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