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Muscular Dystrophy Association Announces Relaunch of Iconic Telethon Hosted by Actor & Comedian Kevin Hart

The MDA Kevin Hart Kids Telethon Will Air October 24, 2020 at 8pm ET Benefitting
the Muscular Dystrophy Association and Help From The Hart Charity

NEW YORK, NY – Wednesday, September 9, 2020 – The Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA) announced today the relaunch of their legendary Jerry Lewis MDA Telethon with Kevin Hart joining as host. The MDA Kevin Hart Kids Telethon will be a two-hour special airing globally on Saturday, October 24, 2020 at 8:00pm ET (streaming partners to be announced), giving audiences the opportunity to support the essential work of the Muscular Dystrophy Association, and Kevin Hart’s Help From the Hart Charity. Hart will be joined by celebrity guests including Jack Black, Usain Bolt, Josh Gad, Michael B. Jordan, Eva Longoria, Jillian Mercado, and more.

The virtual fundraising event will be a can’t-miss evening of entertainment, aimed to drive mass awareness and charitable contributions to help transform the lives of children with disabilities and disadvantages. The event will unite a cast of Hart’s celebrity friends for a star-studded evening of comedy and musical performances, utilize modern technologies for interactive gaming components, as well as give viewers a look at the work of both organizations through exclusive profiles on families, research and care.

Additional live content will include seven weeks of live gaming and esports events leading up to and simultaneously with The MDA Kevin Hart Kids Telethon. MDA is an active member of the gaming community on a year-round weekly basis through the MDA Let’s Play gaming platform, which will host the gaming events starting September 12 and taking place on Twitch every Saturday until the final marathon stream called MDA Let’s Play For A Cure on October 24. Each week will feature top gaming influencers and showcase the most popular game titles including Fortnite, Fall Guys and Minecraft.

Viewers will have access to an overtime show that will run outtakes and entertaining content from the making of the telethon.

“This is an incredible opportunity to bring the work of Jerry Lewis and the Muscular Dystrophy Association forward. I’m honored to collaborate with MDA and my organization, to educate and entertain the public about the need to support people with disabilities and disadvantages, because we are all in this together,” said Kevin Hart. “I can’t wait to have an incredible night for two critically important causes that are in urgent need of funding and hope.”

Donations to Help From the Hart support community-based organizations that address the educational, health and social needs of underserved communities, in addition to helping youth obtain higher learning through education scholarships and vocational training.

Funds raised from this event go directly to MDA to provide funding for research that is shared freely to develop treatments and cures for muscular dystrophy, ALS and over 43 related neuromuscular diseases including Duchenne and SMA. Funding also supports a network of medical care teams at over 150 MDA Care Centers at the nation’s top medical institutions.

“For decades Jerry Lewis brought the world together through the historic Labor Day telethon, establishing an incredible foundation of help and hope for MDA and the families we serve,” said MDA President and CEO Lynn O’Connor Vos. “The telethon was instrumental in raising awareness and donations that today have been directly linked to the development of life-changing therapies for muscular dystrophy, ALS and related neuromuscular diseases. Kevin Hart and the Help From the Hart organization are the perfect match for MDA to bring the magic and power of the telethon into a new era of giving, and to bring the remarkable stories of strength of MDA families into the hearts and homes of people across the country,” she continued.

“As MDA’s National Ambassador I am excited to be a part of such a fun event alongside Kevin Hart to support MDA as they work to help find a cure for my disease, Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy and other neuromuscular diseases,” said Ethan LyBrand (11), MDA’s 2020-21 National Ambassador.

For more than 70 years, the Muscular Dystrophy Association has funded research and care for over 250,000 people in the United States living with muscular dystrophy, ALS, and related neuromuscular diseases. HelpFromtheHart.com supports underserved communities, providing financial scholarships for youth to attend college, and assisting those with medical needs.

Sponsorship inquiries for The MDA Kevin Hart Kids Telethon, visit mda.org/telethon.

The creative agency for The MDA Kevin Hart Kids Telethon is United Entertainment Group (UEG); the production agencies are UEG and Caviar; The MDA Kevin Hart Kids Telethon is directed by Jonathan Krisel.

We kindly ask that you include mda.org/telethon in your coverage.

Download Key Art at mda.org/telethon-media

For more information on the history of the MDA Telethon, click here.

MEDIA CONTACTS

Sunshine Sachs
Nina Kiersted, Pipere Boggio, Brigitte Gilbert | telethonpress@mdausa.org

Muscular Dystrophy Association
Mary Fiance | telethonpress@mdausa.org

About the Muscular Dystrophy Association

For 70 years, the Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA) has been committed to transforming the lives of people living with muscular dystrophy, ALS, and related neuromuscular diseases. We do this through innovations in science and innovations in care. As the largest source of funding for neuromuscular disease research outside of the federal government, MDA has committed more than $1 billion since our inception to accelerate the discovery of therapies and cures. Research we have supported is directly linked to life-changing therapies across multiple neuromuscular diseases. MDA's MOVR is the first and only data hub that aggregates clinical, genetic, and patient-reported data for multiple neuromuscular diseases to improve health outcomes and accelerate drug development. MDA supports the largest network of multidisciplinary clinics providing best in class care at more than 150 of the nation's top medical institutions. Our Resource Center serves the community with one-on-one specialized support, and we offer educational conferences, events, and materials for families and healthcare providers. Each year thousands of children and young adults learn vital life skills and gain independence at summer camp and through recreational programs, at no cost to families. During the COVID-19 pandemic, MDA continues to produce virtual events and programming to support our community when in-person events and activities are not possible. MDA’s COVID-19 guidelines and virtual events are posted at mda.org/COVID19. For more information, visit mda.org.

About the HelpFromtheHart.org

We believe that youth impacted by life-threatening diseases deserve and need our support. We believe that with our help, charitable organizations will make an even greater impact in the communities that they serve. We believe that by assisting individuals living in underserved communities with access to educational opportunities, our society benefits in a more positive and meaningful way.