Jerry Lewis inducted into
New Jersey Hall of Fame

On May 3, MDA National Chairman Jerry Lewis was among 13 prominent Americans honored by induction into the New Jersey Hall of Fame. The institution recognizes New Jersey natives and others with an affinity for the state who have achieved renown in such categories as arts and entertainment, sports, enterprise and others.

New Jersey Governor Jon Corzine said, “This group of Hall of Famers embodies the spirit of New Jersey, a combination of drive, determination and creativity that has led them to greatness.” Lewis was born in Newark in 1926, and went on to become an actor, comedian, singer, director, producer, inventor and advocate for people with muscle diseases.

Other entertainment giants who joined Lewis as Hall of Fame 2009 inductees included Bud Abbott and Lou Costello, and Jon Bon Jovi. Representing other categories were basketball great Shaquille O’Neal, writer F. Scott Fitzgerald, communications pioneer Guglielmo Marconi, scientist Carl Sagan and poet Walt Whitman. Previous honorees have included Albert Einstein, Frank Sinatra, Yogi Berra and Buzz Aldrin.

New MDA online
community proves
very popular
In April, MDA launched an online
community, myMDA, where people

affected by neuromuscular diseases can socialize and exchange information. Organized under the motto “Strength in Community,” myMDA members are people with muscle diseases, caregivers, volunteers, fundraisers, advocates, clinicians, researchers and MDA staff.

Features of the site include video and text messaging, video and text blogging, message boards and forums, photo and music video sharing, and chat rooms. Within two weeks of its launch, more than 1,500 individuals and 43 groups had registered on the site. Local MDA offices also have a presence. Groups, such as the Duchenne muscular dystrophy community and MDA summer camp community, offer a place to meet others with similar interests and concerns. The myStory section lets people describe their personal experiences with neuromuscular disease. Join the community! Registration is free and open to those 18 or older. Go to www.mda.org/myMDA to register.

Highlights of 2008 Telethon
available on DVD

Every year, some of the top entertainers in the world appear on the Jerry Lewis MDA Labor Day Telethon, helping raise funds for the Muscular Dystrophy Association. By popular demand, select performances from the 2008 Telethon are now available on a new compilation DVD, “The Best of 2008 Jerry Lewis MDA Telethon.”

The new Telethon DVD features nearly 30 performances by a wide range of popular entertainers and musicians, including Jerry Lewis, Ace Young, Billy Gilman, Gloria Gaynor, Jack Jones, Maureen McGovern, Menudo, Neil Sedaka, Norm Crosby, ventriloquist Terry Fator, Tony Orlando, Tracy Lawrence, comedian George Wallace, Jimmy Wayne, Joshua Bell, Pat Monahan and Train, and Starship featuring Mickey Thomas — among

many others.

The 2008 Telethon DVD is available at www.mda.org (click on Telethon) for $15, or call (800) 572-1717.

Familiar celebrities are
authors, too

Two television celebrities who give of their time to MDA also have new books on the market.

Nancy O’Dell: The host of TV’s “Access Hollywood,” MDA’s new ALS Ambassador and Telethon co-host Nancy O’Dell has written Full of Life: Mom to Mom Tips I Wish Someone Had Told Me When I Was Pregnant (Simon & Schuster). With warmth and humor, O’Dell candidly talks of her experiences in each stage of expectant motherhood, from pre-conception through delivery, and describes the intimidating but joyful first week at home with the new baby.

 

Nancy O’Dell Tom Bergeron

Tom Bergeron: Also a Telethon co-host, Tom Bergeron hosts television’s “Dancing with the Stars” and “America’s Funniest Home Videos.” Somehow he also has found time to pen I’m Hosting as Fast as I Can (HarperCollins Publishers). Although Bergeron is the picture of calm and cool on stage and on camera, his book describes (often hilariously) the incredible amount of motivation, inspiration and perseverance that was needed to achieve his unruffled demeanor. �