Telethon Is My End Of Summer Tradition

Every year people make plans for vacations and barbecues to end their summers and I just sit and listen to those plans while secretly praying for a cloudy, disgusting Labor Day Weekend. Why do I pray to the metal gods to clouds? So that people will be more inclined to stay home in front of their televisions searching for something to watch and hope that it's the Jerry Lewis MDA Labor Day Telethon. And that while they watch they are inclined to make a donation for a cause that doesn't get the attention it deserves.

Ever since the age of 4 my Labor Day weekend has been spent in a TV studio as MDA has gathered people who care to put on a show and inform people about a disease that's been around for decades and ask people to donate any amount they can afford to give in the hopes of a cure being discovered. And in those 26 years I've been part of every aspect of it from being a goodwill ambassador as a child to part of the production crew now. From being a young child just asking for people to help those like me to producing videos that share the lives in individuals with Muscular Dystrophy so that the viewers can see how the money they've donated over the years helps individuals with Muscular Dystrophy lead a life as close to normal as possible.

And I sit here now writing this on the eve of the Telethon and try to conserve my energy for another Labor Day weekend of working to make sure more people know about MDA and what it does. Making sure more money is raised towards finding a cure, towards helping a family afford a wheelchair, towards giving a child with a form of Muscular Dystrophy a week of fun at MDA Summer Camp, and so much more that I'd be here for days writing everything. And I think about how tired I will be by the end of the show and I can't think of anything else I'd want to do this weekend.

Barbecues happen all summer long and vacations can happen anytime of year. So why not join my Labor Day weekend tradition and be part of the Jerry Lewis MDA Telethon by watching it, making a donation and telling your friends and neighbors to do the same. This is a tradition that matters and can make a difference in a persons life.

Check your local listings for time and channel or go to www.MDA.org and make your donation now.

Rock Against Dystrophy To Be Featured On The MDA Telethon

The 2010 Jerry Lewis MDA Telethon is this weekend and Rock Against Dystrophy will be there.

This past weekends Rock Against Dystrophy Karaoke Wheel of Death was filmed and will be aired during the last hour of the Telethon in the New York/New Jersey Area on My9.  John "Turbo" Shatesky, co-founder of Rock Against Dystrophy, will be live in studio to present a check for how much Rock Against Dystrophy has raised this year and will announce when and where the next Rock Against Dystrophy fundraiser will be happening.

New York/New Jersey viewers can tune in to My9 for the Telethon, which starts Sunday September 5th at 9PM EST.  All other areas check your local listings for time and channel.  And most importantly, please make a donation and help us knock out MD.

The 2009 MDA Telethon is THIS weekend

Yes it is that time again, the 2009 MDA Telethon has arrived. And for yours truly this will be my 25th Telethon. Over the years I have had the pleasure to work with so many great people; Frankie Avalon, John Tesh, Maureen McGovern and the late-great Sammy Davis Jr.

And this year is no different as I once again get to work with Russ Saulsberg and Giovanna Drpic from NY/NJ's MY9 News and the incomparable Tony Orlando. My very first Telethon was with Tony so it's only right that my 25th be with him as well.

This year will be the same as recent years past as I work behind the scenes with the production crew and present another patient profile that I produced with my friends Brendan and Adam at Plywood Pictures. This years video is on Corey and Eric Ryan, twins from Central Islip, NY who share my idea that we are individuals that happen to have Muscular Dystrophy and that it does not prevent us from living our lives. It will also feature the song "The Days Are Just Packed" by Dame Fortune and look for their album The Secret Art on iTunes.

I'll be hitting the studio tomorrow and will get details as to when I will be appearing on air here in the NY/ NJ area where the 2009 MDA Telethon came be seen on MY9. Once I have my on air schedule I'll post it here.

I'll also be doing updates whenver possible over Twitter and ask that all of you on Twitter help make the Telethon a top trend topic by tweeting #MDATelethon as much as possible this weekend.

For everyone outside the NY/NJ area check you local listings and to make a donation go to www.mda.org.


-- Posted from my iPhone