A voice for the kids

The big voice is instantly recognizable.

It is the voice of David Puddy from Seinfeld, the voice of Kronk in The Emperor’s New Groove and the voice of Jeff Bingham in Rules of Engagement.

For the patients of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, it was the voice of someone who visited the hospital recently to read to them from the children’s book — My Taxi Ride — the big voice of someone who also has a big heart — actor Patrick Warburton, a dedicated supporter of St. Jude who just completed his fifth annual fundraiser benefiting the hospital.

“The hospital is an inspirational place filled with joy and healing,” said Warburton, who first visited St. Jude in 2010 and made his most recent visit this February, when he read to patients in the Chili’s Care Center lobby. “St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital really is the Mt. Everest of pediatric medicine. St. Jude is the forerunner — the pioneer on therapies and cures. It is one very special hospital.”

The Warburtons’ annual St. Jude fundraiser continues to grow. Held March 5 - 8 in Palm Desert, CA, the four-day event included “Songwriters’ Night: The Story Behind the Story,” the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Jam Session, which brought rock ‘n’ roll legends together to jam for St. Jude, and the two-day celebrity golf tournament. The event raised $1.12 million.

Warburton is the eldest of four children, and he and his wife, Cathy, also have four children — their inspiration for supporting the St. Jude mission.

“St. Jude has made such headway over the last five decades to take the overall childhood cancer survival rate from 20 percent to more than 80 percent, and in this decade they want to get to 90 percent. So let’s help them do that,” Warburton said.