August 26, 2024 Submitted by The Tolman Family
With Labor Day this weekend, The Tolman Family and their “Telethon Team” are making final preparations for the 48th annual MDA “Telethon” Party, to help raise funds to benefit Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA).
What started out as a small MDA party fundraiser, with a handful of Jay’s friends, under a tent in the back yard of his mother’s house raising $50 the first year, has grown, and has to date raised over $720,000 for MDA. The Hingham MDA “Telethon” event has become a family and community event and tradition. The event began at Jay’s mother’s back yard in 1976, and moved to the Hingham Community Center in 1988.
For many years Jay returned from Hollywood, CA to organize the MDA event in Hingham, and then for 17 years, Jay and his wife Jodi and their three children, they would caravan up from Princeton, NJ to host the MDA “Telethon” event in Hingham.
Now living in Plymouth, Ma, makes for a less stressful journey to organize and put on the event. “I grew up in Hingham, and this special event has its roots in Hingham, and is where we will always have this event for MDA. It’s what I refer to as our Tradition of Caring.”
Jay states, “It’s hard to believe that we are in our 5th decade of our MDA “Telethon” event. So many wonderful memories and caring people that have gotten involved with our efforts and support the goals of the MDA. With the support of my wife Jodi, and our three amazing children, Charlie, Chloe, and Jack, and the unending support and compassion of our amazing, “Telethon Team”, our fight continues. Our desire and commitment is to help MDA find treatments and cures for the forty three neuromuscular diseases such as Duchene and ALS (Lou Gehrig’s disease). The tradition of caring continues for the Muscular Dystrophy Association.
Every day, children are born with muscular dystrophy and adults are diagnosed with ALS and other life-threatening diseases that rob them of their most basic freedoms – like walking, talking, eating, hugging their loved ones, and ultimately life itself. We are raising money and awareness to help the MDA fight back. The money we raise will help children and adults in our community and will also help support innovative research to change the future for people with neuromuscular disease.
1966 was the first 21 hour national Jerry Lewis MDA Telethon. How many remember watching the Jerry Lewis Telethon over the years? Our local “Telethon” event was recognized nationally, and featured on the Jerry Lewis Telethon in the late 90’s.
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.
If you would like to learn more about the Tolman MDA “Telethon” Party, the history of this event, join the fun, or donate and join our “Telethon Team”, contact Jay Tolman at tagtolner@gmail.com or www.tolmantelethon.com.
