August 26, 2026 submitted by Jodi Tolman
Jay Tolman started with a $50 backyard fundraiser as a young man; five decades later, his family and South Shore community have helped raise more than $760,000 for MDA
HINGHAM, Mass., August 26, 2026 — Fifty years ago, Jay Tolman gathered a handful of friends under a tent in his mother’s Hingham backyard for a Labor Day weekend fundraiser inspired by the Jerry Lewis MDA Telethon.
They raised $50.
On Sunday, September 6, Tolman will return to Hingham to celebrate the 50th Annual Tolman MDA Telethon Party, marking a half-century of fundraising for the Muscular Dystrophy Association and continuing a Labor Day weekend tradition that has brought together generations of Tolman’s family, friends and South Shore supporters.
The event will be held from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Hingham Community Center, 70 South Street.
Over the past five decades, what started as a backyard gathering has raised more than $760,000 for MDA.
For Tolman, who grew up in Hingham and now lives in Plymouth, reaching the 50-year milestone is difficult to comprehend.
“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.”
The anniversary is particularly meaningful following a frightening experience last year.
Just two weeks before the 49th annual fundraiser, Tolman suffered a heart attack. His wife, Jodi, and family wanted to cancel the event while he recovered.
Tolman insisted it go on.
Friends, volunteers and supporters rallied around the family, helping make the event one of the most successful in its history. This Labor Day weekend, Tolman will be back for number 50.
A Hingham Tradition — Wherever Life Took Him
The fundraiser began after Tolman became captivated by Jerry Lewis’ annual MDA Labor Day Telethon. As a young man, he would stay up to watch the entire 21-hour broadcast and decided he wanted to do something himself.
His Hingham fundraiser eventually attracted national attention and was featured on the Jerry Lewis MDA Telethon in the late 1990s.
And even when life took Tolman away from Massachusetts, it didn’t take him away from Hingham on Labor Day weekend.
While living in Hollywood, California, Tolman returned to Hingham to organize the event. Later, for 17 years, Jay and Jodi Tolman and their children — Charlie, Chloe and Jack — traveled from Princeton, New Jersey, to Massachusetts to continue the tradition.
The event also became part of the Tolman family’s story. Jodi began volunteering in 1990, and their children grew up participating alongside their parents.
“For 50 years, Jay has shown what happens when generosity becomes a tradition,” says SharonHesterlee, 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.”
This year’s goal is to raise another $20,000 for MDA.
50th Annual Tolman MDA Telethon Party
Sunday, September 6, 2026
11 a.m.–4 p.m.
Hingham Community Center
70 South Street, Hingham, Massachusetts
The event benefits the Muscular Dystrophy Association.
Media opportunities: Jay and Jodi Tolman and family members are available for interviews. The family also has photographs and memorabilia documenting the event’s 50-year history, including its connection to the Jerry Lewis MDA Telethon.
About the Tolman MDA Telethon
The Tolman MDA Telethon began in Hingham in 1976 when Jay Tolman and friends raised $50 at a backyard gathering inspired by the Jerry Lewis MDA Labor Day Telethon. The annual event has grown into a South Shore Labor Day weekend tradition and has raised more than $760,000 to support the Muscular Dystrophy Association.