47th Annual
Sunday February 22, 2009
Official Countdown To Telethon 2009:
Please take a look at some of the scenes from
The 46th Annual Variety Kids Telethon
The Telethon Chairman, Co-Chairs, Vice-Chairs, Celebrity Family, Producers and National Cast come together just before the start of the Telethon
A look from above...in front of our Phone set
Former Celebrity Child Brianna Wik brought her dance class from
Grand Island to entertain in the early morning
WKBW-TV Channel 7 received the annual
Louis J. Billittier Corporate Award.
Bill Ransom, President and General Manager accepted the award.
Mike Randall talks to students from the Buffalo Public Schools
who helped in raising money for the kids
Telethon Executive Producer Steve Podosek talks about the cover of the Buffalo News TV Topics that featured the Telethon as General Chairman Larry Taber, Channel 7's Mike Randall and Kyla Igoe open the Telethon
Honorary Chairman Rob Ray became a member of Brianna's Dance Class and danced with the girls!
Mike Randall talks to students from Cheektowaga Central
about their fund raising efforts
Buffalo's South Park High School helped the Kids through the Schools Committee
Pine Hill Primary tells Mike Randall what they did to help the kids
Channel 7's Linda Pellegrino looks on as Paul Cambria talks to everyone involved with the 2nd annual Buffalo's Biggest Halloween Bash. Look for the 3rd annual Bash on Saturday October 25, 2008 at Buffalo's Historic Central Terminal
Carol McMahon, President/Chief Barker of Variety gives the report on the 16th annual Lunch With Mr. Food. The 17th annual luncheon will be held on Saturday February 28, 2009
Past Celebrity Child Emmanuel "Sporty" Watson joins Mr. Food
in reading pledges that have been called in
Las Vegas Superstar and Farnham, New York native
Clint Holmes came home to help the kids. Joining Clint is his longtime musical conductor and friend Bill Fayne
Joe and Paula Salvatore, from Salvatore's Italian Gardens donate $40,000 to the Telethon from their annual Gala Dinner. Accepting the check is Channel 7's Aaron Mentkowski and Jennifer Stanonis
Richard Goldstein, Variety Executive Director introduces the Variety/Delta Sonic Youth Hockey Program, one of many programs and charities helped by the annual Telethon
Channel 7's Jon Summers talks to residents of the Elderwood Homes. They raised over $13,000 for the kids
Celebrity Child Grace Croop's school, Drake Elementary sold Red Hearts to raise money to donate to the Telethon
National Cast members, Ilene Graff and her daughter Nikka Graff Lanzarone sing Bridge Over Troubled Water
for the Satellite members
Clint Holmes accepts a check from Lou Ann Delaney, Director Of Marketing for the Fairgrounds and Laura Little, President of the Variety Women and 2008 Telethon Co-Chair. Money was raised from the 3rd annual Holiday Lights Festival at the Fairgrounds. Look for this area's biggest, best and brightest 4th annual Holiday Lights festival starting November 2009 at the Fairgrounds in Hamburg
Honorary Chairman Rob Ray talks to a donor and thanks them for their donation
The leaders of our Corporate Match hosting team, Paul Cambria and Mr. Food talk to former Celebrity Child Anna Maria Lagona
Colin Croop, Jade DiSciullo and former Celebrity Child Tyler Ball,
take a break in the Young Kids area
The Wildermuth Memorial Foundation donated $50,000 to the
2008 Variety Kids Telethon for various projects
The National Cast performs the opening number
Ilene Graff talks to the Croop Family and
Telethon Chairman Larry Taber
Helen Tederous from First Niagara Bank presents a check in the amount of $3,500, proceeds from their first Bank-A-Thon
Direct form Vegas - The Rat Pack returned for
their 3rd year to help the kids!
Clint Holmes joins the Corporate Match team of Mr. Food, Paul Cambria and Frank Budwey in reading some pledges as former Celebrity child Brianna Wik finished her interview
Former Celebrity Child, Erin Deering (middle)
joins her entire family for a medical interview.
National cast member, Terry Buchwald, take a phone call
from a donor in the Credit Card phone center
Frank Budwey and associates from his two supermarket
locations in North Tonawanda and Buffalo present a check for
over $8,000 from the sale of red hearts and various
fund raisers they had at the stores.
Now..That's the Budwey Way!!
7 News Sports Director Jeff Russo talks to John Hasselback,
Director of the Variety Kids Telethon Orchestra.
the members of the Variety Kids Telethon Orchestra
After 50's Phyllis Gorski, shows the magazine cover featuring Grace Croop, Rob Ray and Larry Taber. Inside there were 5 pages of pictures and information about Variety and the annual Telethon. In addition, After 50 is donating all the proceeds from any subscriptions that people purchase in the month of March
Linda Pellegrino is joined by Ray Carr and Pignatora, Co-Chairs of the annual Car Raffle along with Celebrity Child Grace Croop and members of the Buffalo Jills. Congratulations to Lynne Meredith of Buffalo, the winner of the 2007 Chervolet Cobalt provided by Gillogly Chevrolet
Larry Taber, Kathy Kaminski along with Phyllis and Chester Partacz, turn in over $5,000 proceeds from the Bowling Centers of Western New York
Carol McMahon, Chief Barker/President of Variety along with a representative of Freedom Concepts talk about the special adaptive bike that was donated to Variety to be given to Cradle Beach Camp. During the Telethon another Bike was purchased during a Corporate Match to be donated later.
Brandon Barash, a.k.a. Johnny Zacchara on ABC's General Hospital wowed everyone, especially the women with the song
"That's Life". Brandon along with the rest of the cast performed at the special concert on Saturday night and appeared at the Walden Galleria on Sunday. Officials tell us that the lines stretched down the entire length of the mall to see Brandon
7 News This Morning's Laura Gray talks to Erie County Executive Christopher Collins who encouraged all residents to support the Telethon
JoAnne Tidd, chairperson of the Olean/Allegany/Salamanca Satellite presents over $16,000 they raised through many events in the Southern Tier
Grace Croop's grandmother reads her a poem that she wrote especially for Grace as Grace's family and Larry Taber's family is in the background prior to presenting over $5,700 that Grace raised during her 2nd annual fundraiser
Mark McMahon and representatives from American Legion Post 735 in West Seneca present proceeds from a spaghetti dinner, auction and the sale of candy bars at the post.
7 News Jenny Rizzo and 7 Sports's Shawn Stepner talk to
Senator George Maziarz and accepts his donation
Channel 7's Aaron Mentkowski and Sharon Osioro talk to the Wik Family as they donate $3,500 from former Celebrity Child Brianna Wik's 4th annual Boo Bash
Former Celebrity Child Laura Slack talks to members of the Buffalo Jills and Billy Buffalo about the Telethon
Mike Randall talks to members of the WNY Food Industry. Wait till you see what they have done for the kids. Their final is near the end of the pictures!
Cheryl Klass talks with Ilene Graff, Mr. Food and the
7 News Team of Keith Radford and Joanna Pasceri
Volunteers answering the phones in the front row are from the Robert Warner M.D. Center For Children With Special Needs.
It was Dr. Bob that started this whole Telethon
fundraising 46 years ago
The Insurance Women of Buffalo donate $500.00 and
explain to 7 Sports Shawn Stepner and Jenny Rizzo
the importance of contributing
Paul Cambria's family joins him at the phones for the
Lipsitz Green Scime Cambria LLP Corporate match
7 News's Patrick Taney talks with Erie County Sheriff Tim Howard.
Phil Rumore, President of the Buffalo Teachers Federation tells 7 News Mike Randall about the union and retirees participation
7 News at 5:30 anchor Melanie Pritchard and 7 News This Morning NFTA Traffic Reporter Dave cash talks to one of the UAW Unions that helped to raise money
The Satellites gather for a special song from
Ilene Graff and Nikka Graff Lanzarone
7 News anchor Melanie Pritchard gets ready to interview
Erie County Comptroller Mark Polancarz
Peter Morath from the Harkness Career and Technical Center brings down his students to make their annual donation
7 News reporter Steve Barber talks to representatives of
Quality Markets, part of the WNY Food Industry
Shawn Stepner and John DiSciullo talk to representatives of Time Warner Cable, thanking them for their donation of air time on the cable networks alerting everyone to the Telethon
7 Sports reporter Shawn Stepner looks a little "scared" as he accepts a donation of $27,000 form the 16th annual House Of Horrors. North America's largest indoor Haunted Attraction comes back for its 17th year starting September 19, 2008
In addition to their amazing talent, Ilene Graff is also a Variety International Ambassador. We thank Ilene, her husband Ben and daughter Nikka for helping the kids not only here in Buffalo, but around the world!
7 News anchor Patrick Taney accepts a donation
from the Holland Satellite
2008 Celebrity Child Grace Croop and former Young Ambassador Ashley Boyce asking viewers to call and help them grow
Rob Ray talks to Darryl Shannon and Mike Boland from the
Buffalo Sabres Alumni who came down to help Rob, help the kids grow
7 News anchor Keith Radford talks to the
Buffalo News's Lisa Cislo, Cindy Sterner, Tom Dispenza
and his son about the 26th annual Kids Day which will take place on Tuesday April 29, 2008
7 News reporter Steve Barber talks to
representatives from Buffalo Wild Wings
Billy Buffalo, 2007 Celebrity Child Bailey Walsh,
2007 Honorary Chairman Frank Budwey get ready
for another Corporate match with Mr. Food
The Bowmansville Volunteer Fire Department brings down their donation from the Fill The Boot drive.
We thank all the volunteer fire departments that conduct
Fill the Boot Drives for the Telethon
Kids of all ages are coloring on the coloring wall in the kids set
Chester Partacz presents donations from the cannister bottles that are placed in many locations in Western New York
Tyler Ball talks to Rob Ray about his book that
was used as part of the credit card premiums
Sue Severin presents a check from the Joanne Severin Cinelli Memorial Golf Tournament. The annual fund raiser will be held on Monday June 2, 2008
Joe Cantafio, chairman of the West Seneca Satellite and a officer with the West Seneca Teachers Association, receives the annual Frank Cantafio Memorial Award given by the UAW and Variety each year. The award is named for his dad who started the huge labor fund raising effort for the Telethon many years ago. Joining Joe is his wife, three sons and his mom
Ilene Graff talks to Paul Cambria and former Celebrity Child Victoria Macy about the annual Brunch at Spaulding that they chair. This years effort raised $7,001. the 3rd annual Spaulding Lake Brunch will be held in August 2008
Norm Skulski, presents the proceeds from his annual pool tournament to 7 Weather Anchor Aaron Mentkowski
The Amberleigh Retirement Community raised over $5,500 through candy bar sales (lots of candy bars) an art auction and various other events
Priscilla Candiliotis, Co-chairperson of the Satellite Division and Co-Chair of the Greek Satellite tells 7 News Anchor
Patrick Taney what her and her team did to raise their money
Penny Hartman, UAW Local 686 Telethon Committee Chairman presents the money they raised in Lockport at the Delphi Plant
Kevin Donovan, Assistant Director for UAW Region 9, presents monies raised and to announce that the Union effort resulted in over $60,000
Sal Morana, UAW 774 Telethon Committee Chairman opens the briefcase and donates over $20,000 for the kids presenting it to 7 News This Morning NFTA Traffic reporter Dave Cash
Joe Cantafio, West Seneca Satellite chairman, talks about how their satellite went over the $1,000,000 mark in monies raised over the past 33 years
7 Sports reporter Shawn Stepner interviews the 2008 National Lacrosse League Champion Buffalo Bandits John Tavares and Mark Steenhuis before they go up and talk to donors
Ed Wegrzyn helped Variety's Kids at the Walden Galleria selling
car raffle tickets and Red Hearts and then sold some candy bars in his neighborhood to help raise $385.00
Marcy DiMaggio donates over $8,600 from her 15th annual Jamboree that she puts together each year.
National Cast Member Terry Buchwald gets everything shaking on the set
....even the Buffalo Bills mascot-Billy Buffalo
Clint Holmes takes time out for a picture with former Celebrity child Kelly Morris and Jade DiSciullo
Former Celebrity Child, Emmanuel "Sporty" Watson, plays a game of Scrabble with 2008 Celebrity Child Grace Croop
and her sister Elizabeth
National Fire Adjustors Co. participate in the Corporate Match
in which they doubled the dollars raised by donors
for a couple of minutes
National Cast member Terry Buchwald brings the kids
to the phones to help him sing a song
Paul Cambria introduced Duane Paddock from Paddock Chevrolet and his family near the end of the Telethon.
Mr. Paddock announced that he is donating a 2008 Chevrolet Malibu to be raffled off with proceeds going to Telethon 2009. Ticket sales will start in April 2008
Keith Radford directs his and the Variety Club Women's attention to the tote board to watch as the $40,000 that they raised this year gets added to the big total
7 News Anchor talks to Al Fanara, Frank Catarisano, Frank Budwey, from the Western New York Food Industry as they get ready to announce their grand total raised for Telethon 2008.....Here they turned in over $34,000 from The 14th annual Taste of Telethon held at Salvatore's Italian Gardens.....
next picture...
Hooray!!! Over $173,000 raised by the
Western Food Industry for the Kids!!
Delta Sonic through the Scents For The Kids promotion raised $33,000 that they give to 7 News Anchor Joanna Pasceri....then........
Kim Canna, Director of Marketing for Delta Sonic announces that the grand total for Telethon 2008 is $110,400....That is one big SUPER KISS for Variety's Kids
The Variety Kids Telethon Orchestra comes marching down to the set as the Telethon nears the end
The Millennium Hotel Staff is thanked for their generous donation and hospitality in hosting the Telethon
for their 5th year
The Telethon needs phones, not only for the donors to call but for all of Variety's committees to operate. We thank the owners and staff of Vaspian Communications for keeping us connected
The National Cast and Telethon officials end the Telethon
by singing God Bless America
Telethon 2008...$1,303,014!!!
THANK YOU for helping Variety's Children Grow!
This page last modified on Tuesday, July 01, 2008
For information on Variety - The Children's Charity of Buffalo & Western New York,
Please call us at (716) 854-7577 or e-mail us at:
vcstaff@buffnet.net
Oprah's Big Give
gives $10,000
