Jerry Lewis MDA Labor Day Telethon

The first Telethon was held in 1955 at Carnegie Hall in New York. The 16 1/2-hour show raised $600,000 for MDA.

The first MDA Labor Day Telethon was broadcast in 1966 by one New York City station. It was the first televised fundraising event of its kind to raise more than $1 million.

On Labor Day weekend 2009, some 250,000 volunteers across the country will be involved in the Telethon.

The 2009 Jerry Lewis MDA Telethon is the 44th annual Labor Day show. It will be broadcast from the South Point Hotel, Casino & Spa in Las Vegas beginning at 9 p.m. EDT on Sunday, Sept. 6, and ending 21 1/2 hours later.

The show will reach nearly 40 million viewers in the United States and Canada via some 180 television stations comprising MDA’s “Love Network.” Thanks to RealNetworks it can also be seen at mda.org.

In 2008, pledges and donations to the MDA Telethon brought in a record $65 million.

No tickets are available to see the national Telethon live. The best seat in the house often is right in front of your television screen.

Jerry Lewis and Celebrities

Jerry Lewis receives no pay for his tireless year-round work for MDA. He’s MDA’s "number-one volunteer” and star of the Telethon.

Other celebrities serve as Telethon co-hosts and performers. They receive no pay for their efforts.

Jerry Lewis has never missed a Labor Day weekend Telethon broadcast, in recent years braving personal pain and illness to raise funds to help Jerry’s Kids of all ages.

Basic Information About MDA

MDA is the nonprofit health agency dedicated to curing muscular dystrophy, ALS and related diseases by funding worldwide research.  The Association also provides comprehensive health care and support services, advocacy and education.  The majority of contributions to MDA come from individual donors.

MDA is the largest nongovernmental sponsor of muscle and nerve disease research.

Financial

Funded almost entirely by individual private contributions, MDA seeks no fees from those it serves.

MDA dedicates 78.3 cents of every dollar it spends directly to research, services and education.

View the MDA Annual Report online for more information.

Services

MDA sends more than 4,000 youngsters with muscular dystrophy to accessible MDA summer camps each year, at a cost to MDA of $800 per camper. There's no charge to families.

Tens of thousands of people visit MDA's 220 clinics and 35 MDA/ALS centers every year.

MDA awards research grants to more than 300 teams of scientists and physicians worldwide.

The Association also:

  • helps buy and repair wheelchairs, leg braces and communication devices;
  • facilitates meetings of 240 MDA support groups;
  • provides thousands of free flu vaccines; and
  • conducts extensive public education programs.

Community Programs

MDA’s 227 local offices across the country provide valuable practical information and essential services.

MDA’s National Task Force on Public Awareness advises the Association about issues of interest and importance to people with disabilities. The group consists of adults who are leaders in their communities and are affected by diseases in MDA's program.

Abbey Umali, 10, of Redlands, Calif., is MDA’s National Goodwill Ambassador. She has a form of Charcot-Marie Tooth disease.

MDA’s National Youth Chairman is Luke Christie, 16, of Due West, S.C., who has spinal muscular atrophy. Luke encourages teens and young adults to support MDA.

Augie and Lynne Nieto of Corona del Mar, Calif., are chairpersons of MDA’s ALS Division. Augie, 51, has amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or Lou Gehrig’s disease. An exercise equipment pioneer, he co-founded Life Fitness and is now chairman of Octane Fitness.