REMINDER - ‘Party for a Cure’ scheduled Sept. 4

What : “Party For A Cure” for the Muscular Dystrophy Association.
Where : Zandri’s Stillwood Inn, 1074 S. Colony Road.
When : 5:30 p.m. Sept. 4.
Cost : $50 donation to MDA.
Information, tickets, donations : Call Zandri’s at (203) 269-6695.

WALLINGFORD — The Labor Day Telethon’s annual “Party for a Cure” will take place at 5:30 p.m. Sept. 4 at Zandri’s Stillwood Inn, 1074 S. Colony Road.

The admission charge will include a buffet dinner, open bar, entertainment and a silent auction. Proceeds will be donated to the Muscular Dystrophy Association.

WTIC-TV will broadcast live from Zandri’s during the telethon. For information or a reservation, call (203) 269-6695.

PARTY FOR A CURE - Telethon changes, but local MDA ‘party’ goes on

As published in the Record Journal Friday August 26, 2011

By Russell Blair
Record-Journal staff
rblair@record-journal.com
(203) 317-2225

Fast facts
What : “Party For A Cure” for the Muscular Dystrophy Association.
Where : Zandri’s Stillwood Inn, 1074 S. Colony Road.
When : 5:30 p.m. Sept. 4.
Cost : $50 donation to MDA.
Information, tickets, donations : Call Zandri’s at (203) 269-6695.

WALLINGFORD — Fifteen years ago, representatives of the Muscular Dystrophy Association came into Jim Zandri’s office looking for a donation, and left with much more. “MDA kind of became my thing,” Zandri said. “They were just asking for a donation, but I volunteered to host an event.”

Zandri’s Stillwood Inn, 1074 S. Colony Road, is hosting its 15th annual “Party for a Cure” fundraiser on Sunday, Sept. 4, at 5:30 p.m. For a $50 donation, guests can enjoy an open bar, a buffet-style diner, entertainment and a silent auction.

The party will last until midnight and feature live cut-ins on WTIC-TV. The restaurant will be showing the telethon on a big screen TV, and those in attendance will have a chance to watch themselves on camera.

“The cut-ins are always a lot of fun,” Zandri said.

Zandri’s event is one of two MDA telethon parties being held in the state. The other event is being hosted at Mohegan Sun.

Zandri said he became involved with the MDA because he was always a big fan of Jerry Lewis, the comedian who hosted the telethon from its inception through last year. The MDA announced several weeks ago that he would no longer be part of the telethon.

John Sullivan, a town councilor and friend of Zandri’s, has been a regular at the event and helped co-host it over the years.

“It’s an incredible charity,” Sullivan said. “And the money raised stays in Connecticut.”

Over the years, Zandri said, $309,000 has been raised. Last year’s event alone raised $41,000. Much of the money comes from a silent auction of items donated by area businesses.

“This year we have a scooter, a recliner, Yankees tickets, Red Sox tickets,” Zandri said. One of the most popular items every year is a handmade afghan knitted by Joan Parisi, the wife of Town Council Chairman Robert Parisi, he said.

“There’s something for everyone,” Zandri said.

This is the first year the telethon will be held without Lewis — and strictly in prime time instead of spread over 22 hours — but Zandri said he doesn’t foresee that hurting the event. The most rewarding part, he said, is helping those in need.

“It makes you realize that you could be on the end where you’re in need of help,” Zandri said.

“Until you learn, you don’t realize how many different diseases fall under the umbrella of MDA,” Sullivan said. “Research to find a cure can’t be done without these events. I look forward to it every year.”

Muscular Dystrophy Fundraiser - No more Jerry, but Jim Zandri is still raising funds for MDA

As Published in the Record Journal, Tuesday August 9, 2011

By Russell Blair
Record-Journal staff
rblair@record-journal.com
(203) 317-2225

WALLINGFORD — Jim Zandri said it was Jerry Lewis who inspired him to start his own muscular dystrophy fundraiser, which continues for its 15th year next month.

“His involvement inspired me to do what I did,” Zandri said.

Lewis, who has been the face of the Muscular Dystrophy Association for nearly 60 years. won’t be hosting this year’s national telethon for the first time since 1966, but Zandri said he doesn’t think the departure will hurt fundraising efforts.

“The cause is still there, this is still needed,” Zandri said.

Before last week, when Lewis’ departure was announced, the MDA had already prepared changes to this year’s telethon. The event, which used to last 21 hours, will shift to prime time, from 6 p.m. to midnight on the Sunday before Labor Day. Traditionally, the telethon began Sunday night and continued into Monday.

Steve Fredrickson, executive director of the MDA’s New Haven district, said the changes were adopted for a number of reasons.
“We wanted to bring it into prime time,” Fredrickson said. “It’s the 21st century; we’re trying to capitalize more on Internet donations.”

Fredrickson has been with the MDA since January. He said he joined because he believed in the organization’s mission.

“Sunday I had my first chance to go to an MDA summer camp, and really see our funds at work,” Fredrickson said.

Zandri said that Lewis’ departure didn’t change too much in the planning of the event, and that he’d expected Lewis, 85, to step down from the association in the next few years.

“At some point it had to continue on without him,” Zandri said.

In a statement, R. Rodney Howell, MDA chairman of the board, said, “Jerry Lewis is a world-class humanitarian and we’re forever grateful to him for his more than half century of generous service to MDA. We will not be replacing him as MDA national chairman, and he will not be appearing on the telethon.”

The MDA has become synonymous with Lewis, Zandri said, but it was important that the organization create its own identity. It’s been a slow transition, but Zandri said that he thinks people are aware of the MDA for reasons other than Lewis.

“There’s a need for a transition,” he said. “It’s a new generation. My kids don’t know who Jerry Lewis is.”

Zandri expects turnout for the event to be the same as in years past.

“Most people come regardless,” he said. “I don’t expect anybody to abandon the cause because Jerry Lewis is gone. People support the cause because they’re affected personally by it.”

Fredrickson said that the MDA is expecting viewership of the telethon to be up this year because of the primetime hours.

Zandri’s telethon party will be hosted at Zandri’s Stillwood Inn, 1074 S. Colony Road, from 5:30 p.m. to midnight on Sept. 4. For a $50 donation to the MDA, guests have access to a buffet, an open bar, dancing and a silent auction. Zandri said that in 14 years, the local event has raised more than $300,000.

“There’s no gimmick,” Zandri said. “It’s just a donation, and it’s a good time.”