When I Was A Kid, I Was Obsessed With Watching Telethons

Do you know how many times I heard the song "I Will Survive" by Gloria Gaynor when I was a kid? And, yes! I was a child of the late 70s and early 80s and I was in love with disco. That song, without a doubt, is one of the greatest hits of that particular era.

But there's another reason it's one of the defining songs of my particular childhood. It was the anthem for virtually every telethon I grew up watching. Oh yeah, in case I didn't mention at the jump, I was obsessed with telethons.

I feel like Gloria Gaynor sang "I Will Survive" on every single MDA Labor Day Telethon with Jerry Lewis.

Here she is in 2001.

Here she is in 2009!

See the pattern?

That's literally how I spent every Labor Day Weekend when I was a kid. On Sunday nights, I would put my sleeping bag out on the floor and settle in to try and stay up all night long. If you remember, those broadcasts back then would last nearly 24 hours. I tried- every single time- to watch from start to finish. I rarely accomplished what I set out to do, but I gave it the old Thruston Elementary School try.

The Jerry Lewis MDA Labor Day Telethon ended its spectacular 44-year run in 2010.

I'll admit. I just rewatched that and I had forgotten how sad it was! That, for me and a bunch of other folks who grew up at that time, was truly the end of an era.

Thankfully, another telethon that I grew up watching still 'survives' today. Remember watching the Easter Seals telethon?

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I have no idea why, as a young boy growing up in Thruston, Kentucky, I was so captivated by telethons. Honestly, it kinda tracks now that I am an adult. Today, I work with all kinds of charities and actually produce an annual 26-hour St. Jude Radiothon. I also work with my TV friends at WEHT in Evansville, Indiana on their annual Easterseals Telethon. As a matter of fact, the 2026 version is airing today!

That telethon, now 49 years strong, is much smaller scale than it used to be, but the heartbeat of it remains the same.

Take a look at this clip from last year's event!

There's something incredibly heartwarming and powerful about a telethon. It's a collection of moving stories, ambassadors, volunteers, survivors, and supporters all coming together for a shared cause.

As an adult, I get it. I'm fortunate to be able to help facilitate and participate in these life-changing events now. Looking back, it has come full circle in so many ways. As a kid, I felt like I was part of it just by laying there in my sleeping bag, watching the tote board grow, and singing "I Will Survive" with Gloria Gaynor.