(BUFFALO, NEW YORK) – Organized Labor came out in force over the weekend and donated more than $73,000 to the annual Variety Club Telethon, which raised more than $1 million that directly supports Buffalo’s Oishei Children's Hospital and other Children's charities.

Variety Club President Tony Vaccaro, who serves as a Business Agent at Teamsters Local 264, said: “We are thrilled to announce that the Variety Kids Telethon this weekend once again surpassed our goal of one million dollars. The Telethon is more than just a weekend event, this weekend was the culmination of a year of fund-raising and we couldn’t have done it without our volunteers, our Corporate partners, including WGRZ Channel 2 and WBBZ Channel 5, our supporters that attend our events throughout the year or the loyal supporters that call in their pledges. As a result, we can continue to help Oishei's Children’s Hospital provide state of the art services to the children of Western New York.”

Throughout just 15 hours, the 63rd Annual Variety Kids Telethon raised $1,070,255 through various corporate matches and donations made across the Buffalo and Western New York community, Variety Club announced.

Of that total, $73,000 was raised by Labor Unions and Organizations and their Members, including nearly $40,000 alone by the United Auto Workers (UAW), said Vaccaro, who added: “(The UAW) is ‘awesome.’”

“I am ‘very grateful and proud to say’ that Variety has seemed to become the ‘go-to’ charity for Organizing Labor ‘as they keep stepping up - again, year after year,’” Vaccaro (pictured below, on the left) told WNYLaborToday.com.  “Organized Labor ‘has come together to embrace’ Variety and it ‘warms my heart.’ We (in Labor) all have our tie to (Buffalo’s) Children’s Hospital and that’s why we are involved with Variety.  ‘Everyone seems to have had an experience and knows how lucky we are to have Children’s Hospital here in our own backyard.’”

Buffalo AFL-CIO President Denise Abbott of Communications Workers of America (CWA) Local 1168 (pictured above) told WNYLaborToday.com: “I am ‘really proud’ of Labor and am ‘so thrilled with it.’  ‘It just shows you how much Labor is involved in our community.’  ‘I think we do so well (for Variety) is because it touches everyone is such a way that it is easier to ask for donations.’  We ‘all have a connection’ and ‘we all want to be part of it’ (the telethon).  ‘It truly has become the biggest fundraiser’ for Buffalo Labor. This transition was around a long time before I (became Buffalo AFL-CIO President) and I am ‘really proud we have kept it going.’  ‘We are in it for all the right reasons.’”

She added: “Tony (Vaccaro) is a ‘rock star and I am blown away by all he is doing.’  He makes Labor ‘look fantastic’ and he allows Labor a place to be present.”

WNYLaborToday.com Editor's Note: Also pictured above, on the left, is William Mayer of Painters District Council 4 - a Co-Labor Chair of the Annual Variety Club Telethon.