Jerry Lewis Stepping Down


It's the end of an era. Comedian Jerry Lewis recently celebrated his 85th birthday and says that he will perform his final Muscular Dystrophy Telethon this year. I say that it's the end of an era since he's been doing MDA telethons, on Labor Day weekend since 1966. These telethons have raised more than a billion dollars. Lewis started with one TV station in '66 in New York City where he raised a million dollars. Since then he's expanded the telethon to a network of more than 170 stations with $59 million raised last year.

Lewis will remain National Chairman of MDA as he has since the 1950's.

Some people doubt the sincerity of Jerry Lewis and his MDA fundraising. I'll tell you this, for years I've worked locally with fundraisers for MDA. The people affected with Muscular Dystrophy consider Jerry Lewis a god.

That's good enough for me.

Thank you, Mr. Levitch.

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