#MDA Labor Day Telethon

[rosen01]

“To pity distress is but human; to relieve it is Godlike.” ―Horace Mann

[frauenfiguren]

32/2023: Laura Hershey, 11. August 1962

Sie war eines von Jerry's Kids und wurde eines von Jerry's Orphans.

Als Kleinkind wurde Laura Hershey, erstes von zwei Kindern einer Familie in Littleton, Colorado, mit Spinaler Muskelatrophie diagnostiziert, einem durch Gendefekte ausgelösten fortschreitenden Muskelschwund. Sie nutzte daher schon bald Rollstühle, ihre Eltern, insbesondere ihre Mutter förderte jedoch ihre schulische Bildung, trotz des erschwerten Zugangs zu Schulen für Menschen mit Behinderung.…

[coolthingsguyslike]

[make-a-little-mischief]

Ringing in the new year right - SANS PANTS

Taken from this photo

***DISCLAIMER*** Hi friends, if you'd like to repost these photos please credit my bog. Thanks and a happy LEGGY New Year to y'all 🦵🏻🎊🥂😘

[phillyradiogeek]

Summer 2023, as least culturally speaking, has just about come to a close. And for me, Summer isn't over until I hear this.

I hope you had a fantastic Summer! Have a great Autumn!

[theotherstephencobert]

Labor Day 1972 - The Man Upstairs Did WHAT?!?

This Labor Day marks a most interesting anniversary that I wanted to commemorate (or at least write about) this year.

Fifty years ago, 1972, I was 17 years old and living in the Bible Belt state of Tennessee. During Labor Day weekend of that year, on and off I would tune into the Jerry Lewis Labor Day MDA Telethon to check out the entertainment amd to see how much had been raised to fight Muscular Dystrophy. The telethon itself was not without controversy: a number of people took issue with Jerry's very public ways to raise money for the cause. Also, many kids with MD, and their families. took issue with being called "Jerry's Kids". However, as my nephew Dan Cobert brought up in response to one of my Facebook posts, the Telethon at least meant Labor Day was here for SOMETHING and not just because "we need a major holiday between July 4 and Thanksgiving".

In 1972, though, the MDA Telethon had a special bit of notoriety all its own.

In the course of the Telethon, Jerry referred to kids with muscular distrophy as kids that "the Man upstairs goofed when He made them". (I personally remember Lewis saying it a couple of times Saturday evening going into Sunday morning. The timing of the comments probably didn't help matters any.))

The phones at the local (Knoxville) TV station carrying the Telethon were ringing off the hook with religious folks (mostly Christians, I'd guess) expressing their indignation at Lewis' sacrilegious and blasphemous comments. I remember when the show cut away to the local station, the local hosts were trying to keep the 1972 Telethon from turning into a disasteer. I recall local personality Carl Perkins saying something like this: "If you were offended by what Mr. Lewis said, we have the address to the Muscular Dystrophy Association here at the station; you can write to them and Jerry Lewis will get your letter. But PLEASE do not refuse to donate to the MDA or decrease your contribution because of what Mr. Lewis said. If you do not donate this year, you will not be hurting Jerry Lewis, you will be hurting children with muscular dystrophy who need the services and research that your contributions make possible."

I don't remember that controvery ever occuring again during a Labor Day telethon. I suspect there was enouugh of an outcry across the nation that MDA officials probably asked Jerry to cool it with the "Man upstairs" comments in future Telethons.

Incidentally, Jerry's comments came about 9 years prior to Rabbi Harold Kushner publishing his book, "When Bad Things Happen to Good People". Dr. Kushner was inspired to write it after his oldest son, Aaron, died from progeria, a rare disease that causes children to age rapidly and usually die in their early teens. Obviously (no pun intended) more orthodox than Jerry Lewis' emotional comments, Dr. Kushner uses the book of Job in the Bible to try to explain that in this world some things happen that God did not do and cannot or will not prevent. (It seems to me that conclusion is almost inevitable in a world where God has given His creations Free Will.) I know for fact that at least some Christians were quite vocal in their disagreement with Dr. Kushner's conclusions.

[jerrylewis-thekid]

Jerry was still very handsome in 1987 ❤️

[travsd]

Recalling the Jerry Lewis MDA Labor Day Telethon

Happy Labor Day, for those who celebrate. Does anyone? Labor Day is one of our most peculiar non-holiday holidays. Ostensibly it’s the official day to celebrate the workers, but everyone knows the real day to celebrate the workers is May Day. That’s the day that capture one’s imagination. The September date was chosen precisely to disassociate a celebration of workers from organized labor. Thus…

[rollingstonesdata]

ROLLING STONES ON VIDEO: Bill Wyman and Ringo Starr, Jerry Lewis Telethon 1979

Bill Wyman and Ringo Starr answering phone calls from show viewers for (actor) Jerry Lewis MDA Labor Day Telethon, Sept. 11 1979*Click for MORE STONES ON VIDEO Support the page here!Your donation helps to do what I do and keep updating the page daily. Thanks in advance!$10.00

[ridingwithmary]

Happy Labor Day! X performing Blue Spark on the Jerry Lewis MDA Labor Day telethon 40 years ago. This was live on network TV I think NBC..

[thecastingcircle]

Alvin & The Chipmunks - "Jessie's Girl" (1982) - MDA Telethon

Turn back the clock and watch Alvin and the Chipmunks as they sing of a cover of Rick Springfield's song, "Jessie's Girl" during the 1982 MDA Labor Day Telethon! 

This is an Alvin and the Chipmunks performance that you don't want to miss!

[boho-days]

Reva Rice during the MDA Labor Day Telethon, 1994

[coolthingsguyslike]

[make-a-little-mischief]

I was going through telethon footage for a project and had to capture this moment of THE HAT because it's one of those "so dang adorable it makes you laugh" Jerry visuals and I'm sharing it with you all in case there is at least one other person out there who might get the same affectionate giggle out of seeing it as I did.

He. Is. So. CUTE. It hurts.

I love this man.

And dammit if his head didn't love hats.

[last-level-in-druid]

Okay friends, let me tell you why I’m mad today

I have a neuro-muscular disability called Muscular Dystrophy.  It affects all the muscles in my body, making me the weakest of weak bois.  I can’t walk, lift my arms above my head, along with a whole host of other things we won’t get in to now.

Why does that matter?  Because today I woke up to a text from my brother with this image attached:

For those that don’t know, the MDA (Muscular Dystrophy Association) is an organization that funds research for a cure for the 30+ forms of MD, as well as fund summer camps and a few other things.  

Back in the day, up until 5-ish years ago, the MDA had a huge telethon every Labor Day weekend.  For more than 24 hours, celebrities would come and perform to raise money “for the kids”.  It would cut between the national telethon and the local chapter, where you could see locals who had MD talk and beg for money.

Here lies the issue both I and many other adults with MD have with the Telethon. The telethon exploits families, mostly with young kids, to make viewers feel bad for the poor children who aren’t normal. Like seriously, the way the telethon treats these stories you’d think all the kids die before their 18th birthday.  And when the telethons started in the ‘60′s, that was true.  The life expectancy for people with Duchenne’s, one of the most common forms, was not good.  But with advances in medicine, people with Duchenne’s, as well as many other types, can live long, happy, healthy lives.

Here’s the thing, though. MDA hasn’t updated their narrative.  Notice in the image above, this is a “kids telethon”.  And no, that’s not telling you about the kinds of entertainment they’ll most likely have--though it’s usually kid friendly anyway.  I know from experience, having a rarer form of MD (LAMA2, if you wanna know) that the MDA doesn’t care about me.  They don’t help with paying for medical equipment anymore.  Back in the day they used to have support groups, but most chapters have stopped those too.

There are so many better organizations to give your money to, to help both children and adults with muscular dystrophy live full, happy lives.  My personal favorite is NMDUnited, who is both founded and run by people with MD.  I know half the board, and they are all fantastic people who want to live as independently as possible.  Please, if you’re going to support either of these organizations, please support NMDUnited.

My ask box is open if you have any questions!  I might add on to this later idk

 Website:  https://www.nmdunited.org/

[jerrylevitch]

Did Jerry Lewis really make the remark that you were "drunker then hell"? Isn't it a shame how the Labor Day Muscular Dystrophy Telethon is a thing of the past? I figured that would have gone on forever, considering how much money it used to raise annually.

Absolutely. lol He was just playing though. I cackled on the way back to my seat.

Kevin Hart resurrected the MDA telethon last yr, but I don't know how well they did. It all seemed a little awkward to me. I do like Kevin Hart too.

People have some theories about why they got rid of Jerry, but it was likely that they just wanted a younger audience and a less controversial person.