Lewis telethon draws $65 million
Jerry Lewis raised a record $65 million for the Muscular Dystrophy Assn. in his annual Labor Day telethon, a benefit that also made a pitch for those inconvenienced by Hurricane Gustav.
This year’s 22-hour telethon added a special plea for MDA-registered families forced to leave their homes because of the hurricane, which made landfall Monday in Louisiana. The storm affected nearly 5,000 MDA families needing services in their new location, the organization said.
The 2008 haul for the 43rd annual fundraising blitz was $1.2 million more than last year’s total.
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