(USA WEEKEND) -- Pattie Daly Caruso, mother of one of the hardest-working people on TV and radio, remembers when life wasn't quite so hectic. "Two things we always did as a family," she says of Carson Daly's childhood in Southern California, "was having dinner together every night and going to church every Sunday."
This was a family of three — Carson, sister Quinn and Mom. Family patriarch Jim Daly (known as J.D.) died of bladder cancer when Carson was 5. Move ahead a few decades, and Carson Daly, now 41, is a father of three and works as host (or co-host) of three network TV shows and a radio program, in addition to other TV specials and executive producing work, while still finding time for charitable projects.
"I'm proud of Carson (and his success), but it is his heart, soul and spirit that makes me the happiest," says Pattie, herself the host of a TV talk show in Palm Springs. "Even when he was little, he and his sister would keep only seven pieces of their Halloween candy and take the rest to the kids at St. John's Hospital who were too sick to trick-or-treat."
Remembering to give back. That is the spirit behind Make A Difference Day, the nation's largest day of service and an annual effort of USA WEEKEND since 1992. On Oct. 25, millions of volunteers across the country will work on projects big and small. NBC has joined USA WEEKEND in promoting this initiative — which brings us to Daly. Who better to speak about the importance of giving back than this hard worker with a heart of gold?
Well, he might not think so.
"This is a little embarrassing," Daly says, sitting in his trailer on the Universal Hollywood backlot during a break from taping The Voice, the megahit singing competition he hosts. Daly is used to doing interviews in relation to his TV work. But his volunteer work is another matter. "The giving is the important thing," he says. "This is not about building my brand. But I am happy to shine a light on the need to give back."
Daly's life in the media goes back to his teenage years, when he interned for Jimmy Kimmel at KROQ-FM in Los Angeles. From there, he went on to national stardom at MTV, where from 1998 to 2002 he hosted Total Request Live, or TRL, a daily program from the network's Times Square studios. A jump to network TV followed with the late-night talk show Last Call with Carson Daly on NBC.
Daly now shuttles between Los Angeles and his home base of New York for The Voice and Today, on which he serves as host of the "Orange Room," a social-media-focused segment on the day's trending topics. Oh, and he continues to host a morning-drive program for an L.A. radio station.
Daly tries to remain humble about juggling the dizzying demands of his professional and personal lives. "I'm not digging ditches," he says. "It is all in how you define work. I'm blessed. In the last week, I have been in four hotels, flown cross-country, taped 14 hours of prime time and attended the Emmy Awards."
Daly credits his fiancée, Siri Pinter, for helping him balance life's demands. "She keeps my life going. To me, family is always first. Nothing else matters. Once I know Siri and the kids (Jackson, 5, Etta Rose, 2, and London Rose, born Aug. 20) are OK, I am fine. We are so lucky our moms are always there to help, too."
Through this all, Daly — who once considered the priesthood — hasn't forgotten the lessons he learned when he was a kid who donated most of his Halloween candy: Don't forget the people in need.
Some of Daly's causes are personal. His father's death from cancer and his mother's breast cancer diagnosis in 1998 led him to charities fighting the disease. He appeared on the Stand Up to Cancer telethon in September. "My mom is a survivor. Cancer is a terrible thing that both beat us and we beat. … I have a 5-year-old now, the same age I was when my dad died. … This cancer fight is for my kids."
Education is another cause, although not for the reasons most people cite. "I wasn't that good in school; I wanted to be a professional golfer until I was 18," says Daly, who once played in a junior tournament with Tiger Woods and is now a spokesman for the College of the Desert, which he attended. "I think sometimes there is too much pressure placed on kids to go to college. I went to junior college, and I wear it proudly. I hope I am an inspiration to younger people."
Since joining Today, Daly has gotten involved in the show's "Shine a Light" initiative, in which each host takes on a service project. Daly teamed with three Brooklyn elementary schools to help students grow vegetable gardens and learn about healthy eating. "It makes no sense to me that any kid in this country should wake up hungry," he says. "Wouldn't it be wonderful if there was a garden in every school? The garden is sort of a metaphor for a child's brain, where you can 'plant' good eating habits and watch it grow."
Daly knows his celebrity helps his causes, but he's thankful to maintain some anonymity. "I have a great relationship with a generation that harkens back to my TRL days. (But) I'm not an actor. When people see me on the street, they say, 'Don't I know you?' "
And while The Voice has him in some 12 million homes each week, he knows that his long-term appeal rests with the tried-and-true morning show.
"In 10 years, I hope I will still be at Today," he says. "The Orange Room represents a huge journey through this new technology, and I get to be the tour guide!"
For more stories about people supporting their communities, visit NBC News' Making A Difference page.
YOU CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE, TOO!
USA WEEKEND and NBC are joining together for Make A Difference Day on Oct. 25. USA WEEKEND launched Make a Difference Day in 1992 as a day for Americans to set aside some time to improve the lives of others.
Over the years, millions of volunteers across the country have organized or joined projects, big and small, in the nation's largest day of community service. The event is presented in collaboration with Points of Light. Newman's Own, a longtime supporter, provides financial support for the Make A Difference Day Awards, which will showcase several of the projects at a luncheon in Washington, D.C., in April.
Find out how you can participate in a project, or start your own, at makeadifferenceday.com
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