It's Time for MDA's Annual Labor of Love

HOLLYWOOD, Calif., Sept. 4, 2000 ...... The final figure was $54,610,289, or almost 500,000 replies to Jerry Lewis' annual request for "one dollar more" than the previous year's Telethon toteboard figure.

At CBS Television City this Monday evening, crews are sweeping up confetti, packing equipment and trying to account for several miles' worth of electrical cable. By the beginning of next week, all signs of the Jerry Lewis MDA Telethon will be gone.

However, in a production trailer immediately behind the studios, Telethon star Lewis is meeting with key MDA leaders and production staff. For them, the celebration of this year's successful show was short. Telethon 2000 has been over for about an hour, and the planning for Telethon 2001 has begun.

 Still THE Telethon

Now in its 36th year, MDA's Telethon has become as much a part of the American Labor Day landscape as the start of the school year, baseball pennant races and weekend barbecues. Last year's broadcast was watched by more than 59 million people in nearly 23 million households — and that doesn't count Canadian viewers, or those worldwide who watched on the Internet via streaming video.

Since 1966, the world's most popular Telethon has raised well over $1 billion to benefit MDA's services, research and public education programs, thus making THE Telethon — by far and away — the most successful televised fund-raiser ever.

Now, in mid-August, MDA is getting ready to set more Telethon records and to conduct the hundreds of events across the country — on and off the air — that make Labor Day weekend the focal point of the year. (See "Bringing the Telethon Home,".)

The Team is in Place

A look behind the scenes at preparation for the national broadcast from Hollywood finds a number of familiar faces. Telethon Producer Lee Miller is back, along with Production Executive Ron Weed. Arthur Forrest is set to return as Telethon director, while veteran television talent coordinators Maggie Barrett and Jools Clarke are busily assembling the entertainment roster.

Onstage, Ed McMahon will again anchor the national broadcast, joined by returning co-hosts Jann Carl of "Entertainment Tonight," TV personality Cynthia Garrett and comedian Norm Crosby.

Of course, there's one person who can accurately claim never to have missed a Telethon — going all the way back to the first-ever show in 1952. Lewis is once again getting ready for his annual Labor of Love.

Domingo y Lunes Gigante!

Bienvenidos al Teletón de Jerry Lewis 2001, para beneficiar MDA.

For those of you who don't habla español: Welcome to the 2001 Jerry Lewis Telethon, to benefit MDA.

MDA's Hispanic outreach program, called Un Futuro con Esperanza (A Future With Hope), is headed up by MDA National Vice President Mario Kreutzberger — better known as Don Francisco, host of Univision's "Sábado Gigante."

On Labor Day weekend, "Sábado Gigante" (Gigantic Saturday) will be followed by "Domingo y Lunes Gigante" (Gigantic Sunday and Monday) — MDA style. Don Francisco is slated to appear from Miami, and he's working to inject a distinctly Latin flavor into this year's entertainment lineup.

More Stars

The MD-"A" Team is back! Cynthia Garrett, Norm Crosby, and Jann Carl will once again serve as Telethon co-hosts, under the leadership of Ed McMahon and Jerry Lewis.

What makes the MDA Telethon special — and makes the phones ring with pledges and contributions — are the personal stories. In those magic moments, when families served by MDA share a piece of their lives, viewers understand that neuromuscular diseases are real problems that affect real people.

Since 21½ hours of television isn't enough time to tell all of your stories properly, MDA has selected four families to profile on this year's show as representatives of the hundreds of thousands of stories in communities across the country.

Steve Rigazio of Las Vegas embodies the American dream — a devoted husband and father who worked his way up the Nevada Power Company ladder from rates administrator to president. Then, in August 1999 — just five days before his 45th birthday — Rigazio received a diagnosis of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS, or Lou Gehrig's disease). But this high-powered executive is fighting back.

Jonathon Stach of San Antonio wasn't even 2 years old when his parents received the word that he had spinal muscular atrophy. These days, Jonathon is the Texas MDA Goodwill Ambassador. His father, Bradley, says, "Jonathon was born on Dec. 9, 1993, and it's been an adventure ever since."

Samuel Williams turns the tables on MDA's video crew during the taping of his Telethon profile in Matthews, N.C.

Samuel Williams of Matthews, N.C., is an 11-year-old boy affected by Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease, as is his mother, Julia. This two-time North Carolina MDA Goodwill Ambassador is a voracious reader, loves animals and holds a brown belt in karate.

Sharla and Rob Roozeboom of Sheldon, Iowa, will be seen on the national Telethon.

Rob Roozeboom, 24, of Sheldon, Iowa, was believed to have Becker muscular dystrophy when he was 5 years old. Last year, it was determined that he's affected by limb-girdle muscular dystrophy — a disease he shares with his sister, Amy.

Four different families ... four parts of the country ... four diseases ... united by common goals — to raise awareness of neuromuscular disease, and to urge the public to support MDA's mission.

Un Trabajo de Amor — A Labor of Love

As you read this article, CBS Television City is undergoing its yearly transformation into the main Telethon studio. Pretapes and satellite coordinates are being set for remotes from New York, Las Vegas, Branson, Mo., and Nashville, Tenn.

On Sunday night, Sept. 2, when Ed McMahon introduces Lewis, 363 days of planning will come to fruition.

Two million Americans and friends: entertainers, scientists, doctors, families, local TV emcees and production staff, and volunteers will come together yet again to pull off 21½ hours of remarkable television.

It's our time to shine. It's our "Labor of Love."