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Variety Kids Telethon raises money to help WNY children

The Variety Kids Telethon is this weekend.

BUFFALO, N.Y. — The 62nd Annual Variety Kids Telethon is this weekend starting Saturday night at 6 on Channel 2.

One of the places that benefits from your donations is the Robert Warner Center for Developmental Pediatrics and Rehabilitation.

"The visit within the Robert Warner Center should always feel like play to the child," said Dr. Michelle Hartley-McAndrew.

Dr. Michelle Hartley-McAndrew, Medical Director of the Robert Warner Center for Developmental Pediatrics and Rehabilitation says its programs, supported by the Variety Kids Telethon, are all extremely important because one in six children has a developmental delay or disability.

"With the funding from the telethon, specifically with the Robert Warner Center, they help continue to provide funding for our aquatic therapy program, which we couldn't do without the support of the Variety Club, and it's a wonderful physical therapy modality for children that don't have to worry about gravity and balance to be able to use their large muscle groups," said Dr. Michelle Hartley-McAndrew.

Dr. Hartley-McAndrew gave 2 On Your Side a tour of the center where we saw the rooms and gym where children and their families go for treatment and therapy. 

"The more that children who are born early have longer, you know, better survival rates. We are watching them more closely because they are at higher risk for having developmental delays, so we have our NICU follow-up program, we have our comprehensive developmental program that includes our Down Syndrome program, and we also have our motor program that helps treat children with Cerebral Palsy and Spina Bifida," said Dr. Michelle Hartley-McAndrew.

The money that's raised during the telethon also helps keep the evaluation kits updated.

"Because as you can imagine, a lot of our kits, you know when we do evaluations, they might include, like, blocks, or pegs, or things like that and so, you know, they might get lost, so in order to keep them standardized, we have to be able to replace them," said Dr. Michelle Hartley-McAndrew.

2 On Your Side asked Dr. Hartley-McAndrew what it's like to see the children make progress.

"Oh my goodness, it's so exciting. We celebrate with the families. You know? I mean, every milestone that for any child, parents are always very excited when they see their child grow and develop, but for any small success for a child with a developmental disability, we're just right there rooting them on," said Dr. Michelle Hartley-McAndrew.

Since 1979, the telethon has raised nearly $30 million for Oishei Children's Hospital and the Robert Warner Center.

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