- Bobby Rydell:
- Humanitarian
Bobby has always done a lot of charity work. He is not boastful about it, as he says that everyone in show business does it. He credits Danny Thomas. founder of St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital, with teaching him how to give of himself.
After working with Thomas, Bobby became very interested in helping St. Jude's raise money. Because he really wanted to do something to help, Frank Day and his parents decided that for his 18th birthday, instead of getting presents from the party guests, Bobby might prefer that those celebrating with him make a donation to St. Jude's. The idea was a huge success, and the result was a lifelong commitment to helping St. Jude's.
In 1964, Bobby was the chairman of the Teen March Against Leukemia, helping mobilize thousands of youths to collect for St. Jude's.
The money Bobby helped raise, combined with other research funds, helped a member of my own family. Steven, my great-nephew, was diagnosed with leukemia at age eleven. Because his father was in the military, he and his parents did not have to travel to St. Jude's. Instead he received his treatment at a military medical facility. It took a year and a half of medical intervention and hard work by members of his immediate family for Steven to get better, but now he is a healthy young man.
- Steven
The pain of those children like Steven that Bobby saw at St. Jude's, and the anguish of their parents, touched Bobby, but recently, something happened within his own family that caused him to become involved with another charity. His wife of more than twenty years, Camille, contracted breast cancer. As she improved and the crisis point in their lives began to die down, Bobby understood that the best thing he could do to help his wife and all women who suffer from this disease was to help raise more fund s for research.
Bobby is also active in other charities. He is a regular on Jerry Lewis' labor Day Muscular Dystrophy telethon.
