Telethons hit the airwaves for worthy cause

Special medical equipment, braces, wheelchairs, therapies, hearing aids and prescription shoes are just a few possible extra expenditures for people living with cerebral palsy, a lifelong condition that affects muscle tone, movement and motor skills.

To help curb some of the additional costs for several Louisiana residents with this incurable disorder, the independent, non-profit health organization, Cerebral Palsy of Louisiana, is hosting its annual Bayou Area and Lower Lafourche Area telethons.

“Our mission is to provide assistance with purchase, rental and repair of durable medical equipment and with payment for physical, speech and occupational therapy, prescription shoes, evaluations, etc,” explained Kathy Arceneaux, administrative assistant for the organization.

Scheduled for Saturday, Aug. 7, from 4 to 10 p.m., and Sunday, Aug. 8, from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., the Bayou Area Telethon for Cerebral Palsy of Louisiana is held at the Houma-Terrebonne Civic Center. The public is invited to attend and a broadcast of the fundraiser airs live.

Residents of Lafourche, Terrebonne, Assumption and St. James parishes who subscribe to Charter Communications can catch the telecast on channel 18, while Terrebonne Comcast subscribers can tune into channel 5. A live feed will air on the organization’s website, www.cpofla.com.

Two phone panels divided by a living room seating area make up the majority of the set. Several volunteers from the area take on-air donations by telephone.

“We have 21 phones,” Arceneaux said. “The volunteers are individuals from the community who offer up their time for a couple of hours to help answer phones. We invite anyone to participate.”

Four-year-old Makayla Percle, daughter of Brandy and Brandon Percle of Gray, La., is this year’s poster representative for the Bayou Area Telethon.

“We pick clients in the area that have never been a poster rep before,” said the administrative assistant. “She’ll be on the set both days. Her picture is going to be plastered all over the letters we send out, and there will be a very large poster of her on the set, which she gets to take home afterward.”

During the telecast, Makayla’s parents will be interviewed regarding what life is like for an individual with cerebral palsy. The four-year-old will also star in a commercial promoting the telethon event.

Chuck Weaver, president of South Louisiana Bank, is the fundraiser’s honorary chairperson, a position he has held for a number of years.

The telethon will have live entertainment, including performances by the Houma-Terrebonne Community Band, TARC Bell Choir, Faye Jones and Even Tyde.

Father and son team, Ray and Jeremy Abet, will emcee the event, along with John Rogers, Black Guidry, Jimmy Cantrell and Jerry “Truck” Gisclair.

Just down the bayou at the Cut Off Youth Center, the Lower Lafourche Telethon will take place on Saturday, Aug. 28, from 4 to 10 p.m. and Sunday, Aug. 29, from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. The show will air live on Vision Communications, channel 5 and on the organization’s website.

The poster representative for the late August telethon is 13-year-old John Turchin, son of Rachel and John Turchin of Larose. The honorary chairperson is Linda Terrebonne of Cut Off.

The Bayou Bell Ringers, Faye Jones and the Blue Eyed Soul Revue are scheduled to make an appearance and the anticipated emcees include Ken Freidlander, Curt Boudreaux, Harold Adams, Connie Callais, Curtis “Chick” Martin, Ray Bernard, Steve Stall, Ernest Boudreaux, Henry Lafont, Reed Callais and Rodney Doucet.

Inside of both fundraising events, the familiar, oversized fishbowl beckons to be filled with donations of any denomination.

“And if you come down to the site and drop in $25 or more into our fishbowl, you get an ‘I Helped’ t-shirt,” Arceneaux added.

In person donations can be made on or off camera, and phone donations are read on air, unless callers wish to remain anonymous.

In 2009, Houma’s telethon raised $86,529, while Cut Off received $95,737. Every year this number increases, according to Arceneaux, though there is a bit of uncertainty as to what will happen this year.

“With what’s going on in the Gulf and the economy, we are not really sure what to expect,” she said. “We are being really optimistic about it, but we are expecting somewhat of a decrease. We don’t set a goal for each year. We just hope to raise more than the year before.”

Fortunately for the non-profit group, the vast amount of volunteers and donated products and services in the two parishes help offset production costs for the telethon events.

“In the Terrebonne and Lafourche areas we are very fortunate because we don’t have many of the costs because most of it is donated,” said Arceneaux. “The air time is donated. The phone cost in Cut Off is donated. … We get a good rate in the hotel, and all of the food is donated. There is still going to be some costs, but it’s not nearly what it could be.”

The administrative assistant said that none of this would be possible without the help of the volunteers.

“We are so appreciative of the people in the community that come out and support this event, because we couldn’t do it without their help,” she said. “We have four paid staff for the whole state, so we depend on hundreds of volunteers for our events.”

Besides Houma and Cut Off, the organization holds yearly telethons in Lafayette, Monroe and Alexandria. Other fundraising efforts include local bingo games held several times a month and coin-collection containers placed in retail stores throughout the state.

For the past 40 years, Cerebral Palsy of Louisiana has hosted a telethon in our area. Every year, many of their clients stop by the event to visit and show their appreciation, which is something Arceneaux said she looks forward to.

“My favorite part is getting to see a lot of the clients that come in and say hello. The only times we get to see a lot of these individuals are at our Christmas party in December or at the telethon,” she said. “It is amazing to watch them grow-up.”