WC Legion breakfast raises more than $3K for Cancer Telethon

Although final totals were not immediately known, the West Concord American Legion Post and Auxiliary raised in excess of $3,000 at its annual Cancer Telethon breakfast.
Each January the Post has a pancake breakfast with the proceeds from the event being donated to the Eagles Cancer Telethon in Rochester. Legion member Myron Ehrich will present the check to the Eagles this coming weekend.
The breakfast raised over $2,700 with an additional $450 raised from the Auxiliary bake sale, said Auxiliary member Donna Fitzgerald.
“We had tremendous support from West Concord and all the area communities,” said Fitzgerald. “It was a great day, and we are so thankful for everyone’s support.”
Individuals came to the breakfast from Owatonna and Faribault as well as the local Dodge County area, Legion members said Sunday.
Each year the Legion and Auxiliary sponsors the breakfast with 100% of the money raised given to the telethon. This year’s telethon is scheduled for Saturday and Sunday, Jan. 18 and 19, at the Mayo Civic Center Auditorium.
The suggested donation for the breakfast was $7 for adults and $5 for youngsters under 12 although some donate more than the suggested amount. Children under 6 ate free.
The breakfast was also sponsored in part by Thrivent Financial.
The 5th District Eagles Cancer Telethon is a nonprofit charity based in Rochester that operates year round, culminating in the 20-hour live telethon each January. Running for more than 65 years, it is the longest locally run telethon in the United States.
This year the telethon will start at 8 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 18 and continue until 4 p.m. on Sunday, Jan. 19. It features about 125 acts performing along with stories from cancer survivors.
The public is invited to the Telethon at the Civic Center. KTTC-TV broadcasts the event live and it is also streamed online.
Last year’s telethon raised more than $1 million. The money supports cancer research at the Mayo Clinic Cancer Center, Hormel Institute at the University of Minnesota and the Masonic Cancer Center at the University of Minnesota.