Upon making an announcement on the 2002 Jerry Lewis MDA Telethon, Baber was elected to serve as national president of the Muscular Dystrophy Association, a post he held until his death.
John Philp Thompson again made history when under his guidance, Southland Corp. (7-Eleven) raised $81.5 million for the Muscular Dystrophy Association, prompting Jerry Lewis to write, “You accomplished so much, and you and your father before you built a monument. The good you've done will never be forgotten.”
The station was also Northeastern Ohio's first affiliate of the Muscular Dystrophy Association's "Love Network", broadcasting the annual Jerry Lewis MDA Telethon, within which the local inserts were hosted by notable children's host Linn Sheldon (famous for The Barnaby Show).
He was long the staple on the anchor desk and was known for his "On The Road" series of reports and for his longtime role as the emcee of the station's annual Muscular Dystrophy Association telethons from 1971 to 1998.
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Zink worked with Jerry Lewis as the local representative for many of the Muscular Dystrophy Association Labor Day Telethons, not only as the local host for 24 years of the marathon through 2005, but by including children with muscular dystrophy on his children's show.
The union has a close relationship with Jerry Lewis and his annual Labor Day telethon and is invariably one of the groups showcased by the Muscular Dystrophy Association.
This was no longer necessary starting with Jerry Lewis' retirement as telethon host and MDA chairman in 2011, as the telethon was significantly shortened to six hours that year.