Annual telethon set for next week

On Labor Day, the Cape Girardeau Muscular Dystrophy Association district office will hold a telethon at Auffenberg Autopark on South Kingshighway in conjunction with the national telethon that will be aired on KFVS12 from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Local segments featuring profiles on area patients with muscular dystrophy will be aired every hour during the national telethon. A look at events held by the local MDA office throughout the year will also be featured.

Last year the local telethon raised $437,000 while the national telethon raised approximately $49 million.

"We hope to raise a dollar more than last year," said Cape Girardeau MDA administrative assistant Julie Vestal. "We're expecting to do better than last year as long as the hurricane doesn't interfere."

All the money raised in the local telethon is used for local programs. Some of the programs include support groups, summer camps and patient services such as the purchase of wheelchairs and leg braces. Funds will also go to help support a local clinic that serves people living with neuromuscular diseases.

"This telethon is the Muscular Dystrophy Association's best-known means of raising funds and educating the community about neuromuscular disease," Vestal said.

Local businesses donate money throughout the year to the MDA, but the telethon is the chance for individuals at home watching it on television to donate, Vestal said.

The Cape Girardeau MDA district office serves 35 counties in Southeast Missouri, Southern Illinois and western Kentucky.