Cape Girardeau MDA office prepares for telethon

For those suffering from neuromuscular disease, Labor Day weekend is more than just a holiday, it is also time for the annual Jerry Lewis MDA Telethon, which raises millions of dollars for the Muscular Dystrophy Association.

Locally, the Cape Girardeau MDA district office holds a telethon at Auffenberg Autopark on South Kingshighway on Labor Day that will be aired on KFVS12 from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday. Twenty-minute local segments are aired every hour during the national telethon that is held in Los Angeles.

The local segments feature profiles on patients with muscular dystrophy living in the area, as well as a look at events held by the local MDA office throughout the year.

"It's to thank our sponsors that have worked all year to raise money for us," said Rene Goodman, director of the Cape Girardeau MDA district office, which includes 35 counties in Southeast Missouri, Southern Illinois and western Kentucky. In addition, the local telethon is a chance to get donations from people at home watching it on television. Local businesses donate money throughout the year, Goodman said, but the telethon is really the big chance for individuals to contribute.

In 2003, the local telethon raised $422,429 while the national telethon raised $60.5 million. The goal of both telethons is to raise more money than the previous year. This money goes toward research into muscular dystrophy and other neuromuscular diseases and to pay for programs that help people diagnosed with them.

All the money raised in the local telethon is used specifically for local programs such as summer camps and patient services.

On Thursday, the local district office raised $107,000 through the Telethon Executive Lock Up, a kick-off to the Monday's telethon.