Rochester, MN (KROC-AM News) - The 2019 Rochester Eagles Cancer Telethon was a big success. When the 20-hour long marathon broadcast from the Mayo Civic Center ended at 4 PM Sunday, the donation and pledge total was above $1 million. That’s almost $100,000 above the preliminary total reported at the end of the 2018 effort.

Dozens of musicians, singers, dancers, and people with other talents volunteered to perform, while dozens of others volunteered their time and services to raise money to fund cancer research at the Mayo Clinic, Hormel Institute and the University of Minnesota. The theme this year was "Together We Can Make a Difference."

It was the 65th year for the telethon, which was launched by the local Eagles Club and broadcast in 1954 on KROC-TV, now known as KTTC-TV. It has the distinction of being the longest running local telethon in the United States and has raised over $17 million for cancer research since the inaugural broadcast.

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