In 1927, the Variety Club was formed by a group of men in the entertainment industry. When an abandoned infant girl was found in a Pittsburgh theater with a note pinned to her that read, "Please take care of my baby," this group agreed to do just that.

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The community, inspired by their act of kindness, began to care for other local children in need. And thus, the first Variety chapter was born. Variety now has 39 chapters in 11 countries, with one being right here in East Tennessee.

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Much like the first, our East Tennessee chapter was born out of the spirit of helping a child in need. It was founded in 2001, when Regal executives Greg Dunn and Mike Campbell stepped up to help two special needs children of parents in the entertainment industry. Since then, we have raised more than $15 million for East Tennessee children in need.

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Variety has supported numerous organizations who serve at risk children including Emerald Youth Foundation, Second Harvest Food Bank, Tennessee School for the Deaf, Big Brothers Big Sisters, Boy & Girls Clubs throughout Eastern Tennessee, and more. Working with NuMotion Rehab and others, Variety has provided special needs children with wheelchairs, walkers, ramps, and special adaptive bikes through our Kids on the Go program.