What began as a $50 backyard fundraiser inspired by Jerry Lewis has become a half-century tradition raising more than $760,000 for MDA
HINGHAM, Mass., Aug. 25, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — In 1976, a young Jay Tolman gathered friends under a tent in his mother’s backyard in Hingham, Massachusetts, to raise money for the Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA). Inspired by Jerry Lewis and his legendary Labor Day MDA Telethon, they raised $50.
Tolman never stopped.
On Sunday, September 6, Tolman, his family, friends and supporters will gather in Hingham for the 50th consecutive year of the Annual Tolman MDA Telethon fundraiser he started as a young man — marking a remarkable half-century commitment to helping people and families affected by muscular dystrophy.
Over five decades, the annual event has grown from a backyard gathering into a Labor Day weekend tradition that has raised more than $760,000 for MDA.
The milestone is especially meaningful because Tolman nearly missed making it to year 49.
Just two weeks before last year’s fundraiser, Tolman suffered a heart attack. His wife, Jodi, and family understandably wanted to cancel the event. Tolman had other ideas.
After returning home from the hospital, he insisted the fundraiser go forward. Friends and supporters rallied around the family and helped make the 49th event one of the most successful in its history.
Now Tolman is preparing for number 50.
“This is more than a fundraiser. It’s our family’s mission and our community’s tradition of caring,” said Jay Tolman. “For 50 years, people have come together to help families facing devastating diseases that rob children and adults of their independence and quality of life. We continue because the need continues.”
Inspired by Jerry Lewis
Tolman’s commitment has its roots in one of America’s best-known charitable television traditions. As a young man, he would stay up to watch all 21 hours of the Jerry Lewis MDA Labor Day Telethon. The program inspired him to organize his own local fundraiser.
In the late 1990s, the Hingham fundraiser was even featured during the national MDA Telethon.
Tolman’s commitment continued even after he moved away from Massachusetts. While living in Hollywood, California, he returned to Hingham for the annual event. Later, for 17 years, Jay and Jodi and their children — Charlie, Chloe and Jack — traveled from Princeton, New Jersey, to Massachusetts every Labor Day weekend to keep the tradition alive.
Today, Tolman lives in Plymouth, Massachusetts, but Labor Day weekend continues to bring him back to where the fundraiser began.
The event also became a family tradition. Jodi began volunteering in 1990, and the Tolman children grew up participating alongside their parents.
“For 50 years, Jay has shown what happens when generosity becomes a tradition,” says Sharon Hesterlee, President and CEO of the Muscular Dystrophy Association. “Every Labor Day weekend, he brought together family, friends, neighbors, and his community to stand with people living with neuromuscular diseases. What started as a backyard fundraiser has grown into something much bigger, a legacy that has touched generations of families.”
For Tolman, the anniversary isn’t simply about looking backward. The goal of this year’s event is to raise another $20,000 for MDA.
50th Annual Tolman MDA Fundraiser
When: Sunday, September 6, 2026
Where: Hingham, Massachusetts
Benefiting: Muscular Dystrophy Association
Fundraising Goal: $20,000
MEDIA CONTACT: Jodi Tolman: 421239@email4pr.com
Media opportunities include interviews with Jay and Jodi Tolman and family members; photographs spanning the fundraiser’s 50-year history; historical material documenting its connection to the Jerry Lewis MDA Telethon; and coverage of the 50th anniversary event.
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SOURCE Annual Tolman MDA Fundraiser
