Despite another difficult economic year, Community Developmental Services remains hopeful about the results of the 53rd annual Lions Club/Local 6 Telethon of Stars, which was held at the Luther F. Carson Four Rivers Center in downtown Paducah. The 15-hour program of entertainment and interviews aired live Nov. 14-15 on WPSD Local 6 and raised more than $427,000 for adults and children with disabilities in a four-state area.
“Overall the Telethon process was very smooth in our second year at the Carson Center,” said Cathy Cate, executive director of CDS, the Tennessee beneficiary agency of the Telethon. “The results were very positive. We were hopeful to at least raise the same amount as last year and I know we went off the air really close to what we did last year.”
The 53rd annual Telethon went off the air on Nov. 15 having raised a total of $427,321 in pledges and donations, about $19,000 less than last year.
Wayne Bailey (center, right), of South Fulton, stands with Cathy Cate (center, left) while being interviewed by WPSD’s Scott McGee and Johnette Worak live on the air Nov. 14. Bailey, the vice-chair of the CDS Board of Directors, explained the difficult financial state that CDS is in currently, largely due to state budget cuts, and how CDS really depends upon the money it receives each year from the Telethon of Stars.  |
; But with so many businesses closing their doors or reducing their workforces over the last year in Tennessee, Kentucky, Illinois and Missouri, and with the national unemployment rate at 10.2 percent, a 26-year high, the total could’ve been off by a lot more.
“I am ver
Richard Puckett from Waymatic Inc. in South Fulton presents the company’s donation of $7,636 to the 53rd annual Telethon of Stars, live on the air Nov. 14. He is pictured being interviewed by WPSD’s Scott McGee and Johnette Worak. (Photos submitted) |
y pleased with this year’s total,” said Bob Crosno, regional sales manager for WPSD-TV and the executive producer of the Telethon of Stars. “Especially when you take into consideration the state of the economy in our area.”
Waymatic Inc., a custom metal fabrication facility in South Fulton, and major contributor to the Telethon for CDS, was down to about 70 of its usual 120 employees at its worst point this past year. Still, despite the layoffs, Waymatic employees (through payroll deduction), together with a corporate gift, donated $7,636 to the Telethon.
“We are so thankful for Waymatic,” said Cate. “They are just a small company, but have remained faithful to supporting CDS and the Telethon for many years, in good times and in bad.”
Another pleasant surprise, said Cate, was the Tennessee portion of the United Steelworkers Local 878L donation, $18,690, which represented an increase of more than $2,100 from last year.
The Tennessee Lions Clubs were also strong this year in their support of CDS and the Telethon.
“Our Lions Clubs worked so hard this year,” Cate said. “We were very grateful to have a donation from the McKenzie, Tenn. Lions Club, for the first time ever, as well as the support of the Troy Lions Club this year, who had been loyal to us for a long time but had dropped off in recent years.”
The McKenzie Lions Club held a benefit dance, Two-Step for Telethon, at the Carroll County Civic Center in Huntingdon in April, and donated a $1500 check to the Telethon, that included the money raised at the dance as well as a contribution from the club itself.
The Troy, Tenn. Lions Club donated just over $1600 to the Telethon this year, by going door-to-door collecting donations from businesses and churches in the area.
In addition, the Dresden, Tenn. and Cottage Grove, Tenn. Lions Clubs conducted their annual roadblocks, contributing significantly to the success of this year’s Telethon.
“Every year our friends in Dresden and Cottage Grove are so faithful to help us with roadblocks. We appreciate the generosity of these communities, as well as the donation of time and energy on the part of the Lions Club members,” said Cate.
Cottage Grove’s roadblock raised more than $1,600 this year, while the roadblocks in Dresden, Gleason and Sharon, conducted by the Dresden Lions Club, brought in over $2,100.
In Martin, Tenn., WCMT 101.3’s annual Friends of CDS Radiothon set a record high, raising $6,731 for CDS and the Telethon, nearly $750 more than last year.
“I am counting on fundraisers like the Radiothon, and the new contributions we’ve received from some of our Lions Clubs, to balance out the donations that we’re seeing come in from other fundraisers and groups that are not as large as last year,” said Heather Scarano, coordinator of communications and development for CDS.
“But, as it does every year, the success of Telethon is really going to come down to individual donations,” Scarano added. “The donations that we receive from individuals in our local communities is what always makes the difference for us.”
In addition to CDS, three other organizations benefit from the funds raised through the Telethon of Stars: Easter Seals West Kentucky in Paducah; T.L.C. of Southern Illinois; and Easter Seals Southeast Missouri. The Telethon money that comes in from each state stays in that state to benefit the local agency.
At CDS, Cate, Scarano and others are anxiously awaiting the final Telethon results, which will be announced in February when checks are distributed at a luncheon in Paducah.
“Having done so well last year, I’m afraid to hope that we did the same as last year, with the economy the way it is,” said Cate. “But, I am still hoping that we are able to bring home a check in February for $75,000, as we did last year, which was the largest check we had brought home in several years.”
