Jerry Lewis was an American actor, comedian, singer, director, producer, writer and humanitarian. Nicknamed "The King of Comedy", his contributions to comedy and charity made him a global figure in pop culture. Starting in 1946, he teamed with singer Dean Martin to form the famous Martin and Lewis, then in 1956, went as a solo act, highest-grossing movie star and filmmaker.
Muscular dystrophies (MD) are a genetically and clinically heterogeneous group of rare neuromuscular diseases that cause progressive weakness and breakdown of skeletal muscles over time. The disorders differ as to which muscles are primarily affected, the degree of weakness, how fast they worsen, and when symptoms begin. Some types are also associated with problems in other organs.
Edward Leo Peter McMahon Jr. was an American announcer, game show host, comedian, actor, singer, and combat aviator. McMahon and Johnny Carson began their association in their first TV series, the ABC game show Who Do You Trust?, running from 1957 to 1962. McMahon then made his famous thirty-year mark as Carson's sidekick, announcer and second banana on NBC's The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson from 1962 to 1992.
Sandra Zaiter was a Dominican-born Puerto Rican actress, children's television show host, singer, composer and athlete.
Alison Ann Sweeney is an American actress, reality show host, director and author. Sweeney is best known for her portrayal of Samantha "Sami" Brady on the NBC soap opera Days of Our Lives, a role she played under contract with the show from January 6, 1993 to October 30, 2014. In this role, she earned a Daytime Emmy Award nomination, four Soap Opera Digest Awards and a Fan Voted Daytime Emmy Award. After making sporadic appearances since then, she return as series regular in 2021 in the series. In 2007, she became the host of The Biggest Loser in its fourth season, and left the series at the end of the 16th season in 2015.
KSDK is a television station in St. Louis, Missouri, United States, affiliated with NBC and owned by Tegna Inc. The station's studios are located on Market Street in Downtown St. Louis, and its transmitter is located in Shrewsbury, Missouri.
The Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA) is an American 501(c)(3) umbrella organization that works to support people with neuromuscular diseases. Founded in 1950 by Paul Cohen, who lived with muscular dystrophy, it works to combat neuromuscular disorders by funding research, providing medical and community services and educating health professionals and the general public and contributed more than $1 billion toward researching therapies and cures, helping to fund the identification of the dystrophin gene responsible for Duchenne muscular dystrophy as well as prospective treatments.
The International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF) is a labor union representing paid full-time firefighters and emergency medical services personnel in the United States and Canada. The IAFF was formed in 1918 and is affiliated with the AFL–CIO in the United States and the Canadian Labour Congress in Canada. The IAFF has more than 331,000 members in its more than 3,500 affiliate organizations. Its political action committee, FIREPAC, is one of the most active PACs in the country.
KTVL is a television station in Medford, Oregon, United States, affiliated with CBS and The CW Plus. Owned by Sinclair Broadcast Group, the station has studios on Rossanley Drive in northwest Medford, and its transmitter is located atop Mount Ashland, 15 miles (24 km) south of the city.
Ronn Lucas is an American ventriloquist and stand-up comedian.
Kevin Darnell Hart is an American comedian and actor. Originally known as a stand-up comedian, he has since starred in Hollywood films and on TV. He has also released several well-received comedy albums.
The MDA Labor Day Telethon was an annual telethon held on Labor Day in the United States to raise money for the Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA). The Muscular Dystrophy Association was founded in 1950 with hopes of gaining the American public's interest. The show was hosted by comedian, actor, singer and filmmaker Jerry Lewis from its 1966 inception until 2010. The history of MDA's telethon dates back to the 1950s, when the Jerry Lewis Thanksgiving Party for MDA raised funds for the organization's New York City area operations. The telethon was held annually on Labor Day weekend beginning in 1966, and raised $2.45 billion for MDA from its inception through 2009.
Charles DeWayne Zink was an American television personality and film actor, best known for playing the character Skipper Chuck who hosted the popular South Florida children's television series Popeye Playhouse (1957–1979).
Donnie Demers is an American musician and multi-platinum selling songwriter. Donnie's songs have been recorded and performed by various artists from around the world, including Amir Haddad and Joanna Forest.
Nils Allen "Booboo" Stewart Jr. is an American actor. He is known for playing Seth Clearwater in The Twilight Saga, Warpath in X-Men: Days of Future Past, Jay in the Disney television film franchise Descendants and Willie in Julie and the Phantoms.
Laura Ann Hershey was a poet, journalist, popular speaker, feminist, and a disability rights activist and consultant. Known to have parked her wheelchair in front of buses, Hershey was one of the leaders of a protest against the paternalistic attitudes and images of people with disabilities inherent to Jerry Lewis's MDA Telethon. She was a regular columnist for the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation, and on her own website, Crip Commentary, and was published in a variety of magazines and websites. She was admired for her wit, her ability to structure strong arguments in the service of justice, and her spirited refusal to let social responses to her spinal muscular atrophy define the parameters of her life as anything less than a full human existence. She was also the mother of an adopted daughter.
Cora-Ann Mihalik is a former Emmy Award-winning television news anchor and reporter who was best known for her role as co-anchor and news reporter for Fox WNYW and My 9 WWOR since 1987. Her career at Fox/My 9 concluded in 2011 when her contract expired.
Bryson Foster is a noted teen activist who advocates and fundraises for the development of treatments for muscular dystrophy.
Small Town Big Deal is an American television news magazine that runs in first-run syndication with a focus on human interest stories in rural America. The TV program is co-hosted by Rodney K. Miller and Jann Carl. Together, they travel the United States sharing inspirational stories about communities, people, events and happenings. The show first aired on September 6, 2012 on the RFD-TV network. In 2017, the show was being viewed on over 150 local stations and 80 percent of the country each week across America, including several of the ABC Owned Television Stations, which air the program in weekend morning graveyard slots, as well as low-power and digital 24-hour networks Youtoo America, AMGTV, Total Living Network, CTN Lifestyle and Heartland. Small Town Big Deal has received the Parents Television Council Seal of Approval.
Rodney Miller is the creator and co-host of Small Town Big Deal, an American nationally syndicated broadcast and cable television show. Miller and co-host Jann Carl, a former TV reporter and weekend anchor with Entertainment Tonight, travel the country sharing uplifting stories about American communities and people. Small Town Big Deal first aired on September 6, 2012, on the RFD-TV cable network. Since then, Small Town Big Deal has entered national broadcast syndication and appears on over 150 local stations each week. It also began broadcasting on the Armed Forces Network in the Fall of 2017.
