A wide range of special guests are scheduled to appear during tonight’s Stand Up To Cancer telethon, which airs at 8pm ET on all major networks.

Among the performers tonight is Taylor Swift, who will perform a new song, “Ronan.”

The song is dedicated to a young boy who passed away last year due to neuroblastoma, a tumor that develops from nerve tissue. Swift cowrote the song with Ronan’s mother, Maya Thompson. Tonight will mark the first time Taylor has performed the song in public. Taylor’s label, Big Machine Records, confirmed the information about the song and tonight’s performance to CBS Local.

Tonight’s Stand Up To Cancer program is a live telethon that will feature celebrities such as Matt Damon, Emma Stone, Julia Roberts and Gwyneth Paltrow as they try to raise money for cancer research. Stars like Tom Hanks, Justin Timberlake, Ray Romano, Modern Family’s Sofia Vergara, and Olympic gold medal-winning gymnast Gabby Douglas will answer the phones from fans looking to donate to a good cause.

You can make a contribution by phone or you can fill out the Stand Up To Cancer donation form online. One hundred percent of your donation will go to collaborative cancer research to help find a cure. Taylor’s song “Ronan” will also be available after the performance in iTunes, with proceeds going to charity.

In addition to the performance from Taylor Swift, the hour-long show also features performances from Tim McGraw, Alicia Keys and Coldplay.

Stand Up To Cancer airs live and commercial-free on all major networks, including CBS, tonight (Sept. 7) at 8pm ET/PT.

- Kurt Wolff, CBS Local