CBS 3 AND THE CW PHILLY PRESENT DAY-LONG TELETHON FOR RONALD MCDONALD HOUSE CHARITIES® TUESDAY, MARCH 22nd, 6 AM - 8 PM
Philadelphia, March 14, 2016 – CBS 3 and The CW Philly will present the seventh annual Ronald McDonald House Charities Telethon, a 14-hour on-air fundraiser live across both television stations Tuesday, March 22nd, 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. The event has raised more than $5.1 million for the charity since the first telethon in 2010.
CBS 3's Jessica Dean, Kate Bilo, Don Bell, Jim Donovan, Erika von Tiehl, Nicole Brewer, Katie Fehlinger, Meisha Johnson, Stephanie Stahl, Vittoria Woodill, Natasha Brown, Rahel Solomon and Cleve Bryan will host the event with special guests Cody Calafiore of the CBS hit reality series Big Brother, Malcolm Jenkins of the Philadelphia Eagles, Swoop and the Eagles Cheerleaders. CBS 3 Meteorologist Justin Drabick will be broadcasting live from Philadelphia's Dilworth Park at 9 a.m. and noon where the charity will be collecting donations all day.
On-air personalities from the CBS RADIO stations in Philadelphia, including Valerie Knight, Frank Lewis and Bill Zimpfer of 98.1 WOGL's Breakfast Club, Rich Zeoli from Talk Radio 1210 WPHT, Marc Farzetta of SportsRadio 94 WIP, 96.5 AMP Radio's Bex, Doc Medek and Andie Summers of 92.5XTU and Melony Roy of KYW Newsradio will also be on site taking pledges on the phone from viewers who want to support the cause.
Fundraising segments will air throughout the day, most notably during newscasts and one-hour specials on CBS 3 at 9 a.m., 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. Pledges can be made by credit card or check by calling the telethon at 1-844-977-CBS3 or 1-844-977-2273 throughout the day or by texting the word FAMILY to 20222 for a $10 donation (message and data rates may apply).
All funds raised through the telethon will directly benefit Ronald McDonald House Charities of the Philadelphia Region, a non-profit organization that creates, finds and supports programs that directly improve the health and well-being of children in our community.
RMHC of the Philadelphia Region grants hundreds of thousands of dollars per year to support local non-profit programs that directly improve the health and well-being of children. In addition, the charity supports the Philadelphia, Southern New Jersey and Delaware Ronald McDonald Houses; 16 Ronald McDonald Family Rooms® in area hospitals such as Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Cooper University Hospital (Camden, N.J.), and Alfred I. duPont Hospital (Wilmington, DE); the Ronald McDonald Care Mobile® operated by St. Christopher's Foundation for Children and four scholarship programs for graduating seniors in the area. The charity receives its support from McDonald's Corporation, McDonald's Owner/Operators, corporate donors and McDonald's customers.
The Ronald McDonald House Charities Telethon is presented by Capital One, Shop Rite, The Tri-State Toyota Dealers Association, and Health Partners Plans.
CBS 3 (KYW-TV) and The CW Philly (WPSG-TV) are part of CBS Television Stations, a division of CBS Corporation.