The needy of Wareham got a helping hand while local entertainment acts were showcased at WCTV's Friday night event, "Applause for a Cause."

The four-hour telethon was held at Buzzards Play Productions and benefitted Turning Point, a local non-profit that helps the homeless and near-homeless in town.

WCTV's Sally Morrison, producer of the event, said the idea was to do a smaller version of the 12-hour auction and entertainment night WCTV hosts annually at the Elk's Club.

Morrison said a small-scale rehearsal, just showcasing entertainment acts, would be great practice for the production staff.

She said a the four-hour telethon involved over 12 hours of loading and transporting equipment between the WCTV studios on Main Street and the Buzzards Play theater at 3065 Cranberry Highway.

"If you're gonna be working for that long, you might as well raise some money," Morrison said.

Morrison worked with her staff and the staff at Buzzards Play to put together the show in just over four weeks. Between the stable of acts WCTV has and those who work with Buzzards Play, Morrison said she had to turn away people who wanted to perform.

To decide what organization would benefit from the telethon, WCTV viewers were asked to submit the names of local causes. On a lottery held live on the Jan. 13 "Good Morning Wareham," Turning Point was selected.

"The demand for need is greater, and we needed to find a way to provide for these people," said Turning Point co-director Marcine Fernandes.

Due to the poor economy, the number of people who use Turning Point's services is increasing, Fernandes said. She said Turning Point used to get 30 or 40 people over the course of a winter looking for help with paying for heat. That number has now doubled.

Fernandes and co-director Lee McDonald said the number of homeless looking for help has increased, but the majority of their clients are people who are one step away from homelessness and need help with paying for rent, heat, gas or food.

"It's in our best interest to keep these people working and help them not become homeless," Fernandes said.

The co-directors said a lot of the people who used the services to get back on their feet return to volunteer at fundraisers or make donations to Turning Point.

This was the first time this type of fundraiser was put on and both Morrison and Fernandes said they hoped they could hold another one in the future.

At the end of the night Morrison presented a check to Turning Point on behalf of Massachusetts Children's Relief in the amount of $6400.

An additional $1500 was collected throughout the night, and if anyone would like to donate to Turning Point by mail they can do so by sending a check to PO Box 486, Wareham, 02571.