Wednesday, December 05, 2012

GARY'S BLOG

http://rcntv.rcn.com/2012/12/behind-the-mike-december-5/#.UMAEPoZQWGA FROM GARY LAUBACH I love my job. Make no mistake about it. In the past few weeks, I have been able to watch our local high school football teams compete for a conference championship, a District title, and make a run for a state championship. In addition, I was able to broadcast the 148th edition of the Lafayette-Lehigh football game and begin the college basketball season with two upset victories by the Lafayette men’s team. Right around the corner is another season of high school and college basketball which will quickly take me through the winter and into March Madness. It’s the best. There is one night a year, however, that is even better. It is the night that I co-host the Dream Come True Telethon. On Monday, December 10, we will do the Telethon for the 27th year. I have not hosted all of them, but in the early years, I made sure I was a guest on the show. The Dream Come True organization, in case you did not know, was founded in 1984 by Kostas Kalogeropoulous, a local businessman. The goal of the organization is simple – fulfill the dreams of children who are seriously, chronically, and terminally ill and reside in the greater Lehigh Valley area. Children are referred by family, friends, clergy, doctors, social workers, etc. and the dreams usually fall into three categories – trips, contact with celebrities, and special gifts (computers, shopping sprees, for example). Scott Barr and I have been hosting together for many, many years. He handles the auction area and, boy, is he terrific! If you watch HSN or any of the other television all-day shopping channels, just watch Scott do his thing during the four-hour night. He is as good as, if not better, than the professionals. There is always a variety of unique items donated by local businesses as well as our friends in the cable TV world like ESPN, WWE, Comcast SportsNet, NHL Network, and others. If you want something really unique and not found in any store, tune in and bid on the items. You’ll make Scott’s night. Perla Lopez Baray of WFMZ brings some much-needed youth, beauty, and professionalism to the set doing many interviews with the children who have had their dreams fulfilled. She is a pleasure to have as part of the team. We have moved the venue this year to the Outlets at Sands. It is an exciting location and we welcome the new “digs” after a great run at the Westgate Mall. We anticipate much more foot traffic which hopefully will mean much more direct giving from people doing some holiday shopping or stopping by to see us. The important facts are: The Date: Monday, December 10 The Time: 6:00 – 10:00 PM The Location: The Outlets at Sands On The Television: Channels 4 and 1004 in HD The Purpose: To fulfill as many hopes, dreams and fantasies for seriously, chronically, and terminally ill children as possible The Phone Number to Bid or Make a Donation: 1-800-749-8099 Phone line is only active during the live television program

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