THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Tuesday, September 3, 1996 TAG: 9609030043
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY LARRY BONKO, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: PORTSMOUTH LENGTH: 76 lines
Debbi Irving of Norfolk, a volunteer at the ``Jerry Lewis Stars Across America Labor Day Telethon,'' logged in the amount of the first check at 9:45 Sunday night.
It was $2,050, donated by Computer Dynamics Inc. of Virginia Beach.
Some 21 hours later, Irving made the final entry in her log - a check for $35,292 from Sentry Food Marts that was delivered to the WAVY studios by Rose Matthews.
When all the checks and pledges were counted around 7 Monday night, the totals showed that $276,747 had been raised locally for the Muscular Dystrophy Association, surpassing last year's figure of $264,919.
As Jerry Lewis signed off from CBS Television City in Los Angeles by singing, ``You'll Never Walk Alone,'' the tote board in California showed $49,146,555 had been raised nationally, exceeding last year's total of $47.8 million.
``We're here to tug at your heart strings and entertain you,'' promised Ed McMahon when the telethon signed on. Lewis delivered on both counts.
Cable subscribers in this area had the opportunity to overdose on the telethon by watching it unfold on stations in Chicago (WGN) and New Jersey (WWOR) as well as WAVY, which aired the Labor Day extravaganza for the 23rd time.
Through all 21 1/2 hours of great-grandfather Lewis' Labor Day telethon, Irving and her husband, Ronald, stayed up and stayed with it, not taking so much as a nap. Ronald Irving manned the phones while his wife, as green room supervisor, was the traffic cop for people arriving at Channel 10 with checks for Jerry's kids.
It was an eight-cups-of-coffee, eight-bottles-of-RC-Cola telethon for Debbi Irving. She's been volunteering for the MDA telethon here and elsewhere for the last 10 years since her 9-year-old son, Jonathan, died of neuromuscular disease.
She was in tears when the telethon signed off. She was exhausted, drained.
But Debbi Irving was content.
``I'll go home tonight knowing that I've done something to help. I hope that no other mother has to see her child die so young.''
There wasn't much time to sleep away the fatigue.
Both Irvings had to be on the job early this morning.
Although it looked like the WAVY personalities - Bruce Rader, Alveta Ewell, Carolyn Castleberry and Lisa Joyner - didn't have a moment's rest because they stayed in the same clothes, in fact they took a break around 1 a.m. Sunday morning. It was Rader's 27th MDA telethon.
Why the same outfits for the entire telethon?
``To maintain continuity,'' said Castleberry.
There are peaks and valleys in a telethon, and the hours between 1 and 8 a.m. are a deep valley. During that time, when volunteers aren't as plentiful, Debbi Irving took her place at the phones next to her husband.
Her allegiance to Lewis is absolute. She says Lewis visited her ailing son three times when the Irvings were living in Reno, Nev. Working for the telethon is her way of thanking Lewis, who this year brought on talk-show host Jerry Springer to help with the fund raising, which was relentless at times.
Did you remember to include MDA in your will? How could you forget? The reminder popped up on the screen every few seconds. Do you know how much money it takes for MDA research? Thirty-seven dollars a minute.
That figure was tossed at viewers throughout the 21 1/2 hours, which in terms of ratings, pulls in an audience about equal to that for the Academy Awards telecast.
After delivering the $35,292 check on camera - the money was raised at bowl-a-thons, golf tournaments and lock-ups, which require people to ransom friends and fellow employees with MDA donations - Matthews made plans to raise money for next year's telethon. There'll be a golf tournament later this month to raise funds for Jerry's kids.
For the MDA volunteers, next year is already here. ILLUSTRATION: Color photo
BETH BERGMAN/The Virginian-Pilot
Bruce Rader talks with a group of Peninsula baseball players who
made a donation to Jerry Lewis' Labor Day telethon, held locally at
WAVY-TV in Portsmouth Monday. by CNB