Plum telethon raises more than $57,000 for Make-A-Wish Foundation

Everyone involved with Plum Borough School District’s 22nd annual Make-A-Wish Telethon figured the 2021 event would be a tough act to follow.

After a year’s hiatus, the 2021 telethon returned to an enthusiastic response that took its cumulative fundraising total over the $1 million mark.

Donors’ generosity continued in 2022, with the Dec. 22 event and related activities bringing in $57,494 districtwide on behalf of the nonprofit foundation that provides meaningful experiences for children with critical illnesses.

“Because of covid, it’s now $5,000 for the average cost of a family of four to go to Disney,” said Rick Berrott, a TV production teacher and co-sponsor of the school’s National Honor Society which started the telethon. Disney is a popular Florida destination for Make-A-Wish recipients.

“So we’ll sponsor 11 families this year,” Berrott said.

Berrott initiated the telethon around the turn of the century and has run it since. His daughter Emily, a senior, served as this year’s executive floor director, taking charge of the main production area.

During a telethon interview segment, she recalled the work that her father put into each year’s event.

“Over Thanksgiving break, my dad would be reading telethon scripts,” she said. “I just knew not to bother him.”

She and executive student producers Zachary Miller, Nick Lamia and Jacob Pedley started working in mid-November on preparing for the latest telethon.

They arrived at school around 5 a.m. on the day of the event, along with a whole lot of other students trying to make sure everything ran smoothly during air time, which started at 6:45 and continued for the better part of nine-and-a half hours.

The show featured a mix of interviews, video clips and fun segments such as “Telethon Trivia” and “Pie a Teacher.” During the latter, Matt Magnusen, National Honor Society co-sponsor, and fellow faculty member Catherine Pribozie took a couple of pies to the face for the team.

Another highlight was Plum alumnus Pat McAfee joining the proceedings remotely. The former pro football player, sometimes wrestler and consummate entertainer has donated substantially toward his alma mater’s athletic programs, and he similarly enjoys supporting the Make-A-Wish cause.

In-studio interviewees included Maddie Knisely, a 2022 Plum graduate who already is forging a professional wresting career using the ring name Thea Hail.

One of the clips included Plum senior Greg Valotta, who served as one of the telethon hosts, talking about his family traveling to Disney World courtesy of Make-A-Wish.

“I’m OK now, but the first five or six years of my life, there was a lot of in and out of the hospital. So it was just really nice to get away from all of that and to take a weeklong trip where I just felt like I could be a kid, to go to Disney and ride the rides,” he said.

“I don’t remember a whole lot of it now, since it was a long time ago. But I was looking back at the pictures earlier today, and I just looked so happy. That was truly a time in my life when I didn’t have a lot to look forward to, so just looking back and seeing me smile and laugh at Disney, that’s really what this is.”

As the telethon neared its conclusion, Rick Berrott called it a “win-win for everyone involved” — the children helped by Make-A-Wish and members of their families, plus the educational value for his TV production students.

“It’s just tremendous, the experience, if you’re getting into this field,” Berrott said. “You’re not gaining this experience reading a book.”

He is looking forward to this year’s 11th-graders leading next year’s event.

“It will be exciting to work with them to see who steps up to the plate and takes the bull by the horns,” he said.

For a video of the 22nd annual Make-A-Wish Telethon, visit fb.watch/hBPBHPOMtE.