EASTER SEALS TELETHON AIRS TODAY ON KBSI

Easter Seals Celebration '96 will air today from West Park Mall in Cape Girardeau.

The telethon, Easter Seals' main fund-raiser for the year, will be broadcast live from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. on KBSI Channel 23.

Local hosts will be Jhan Thomas, Mike Simmons and Jim Modglin.

Chuck Martin, regional executive director for the Easter Seals Society, said funds raised will benefit disabled children ages birth to 6 throughout Southeast Missouri.

"This year we're serving right at about 60 kids" at the Early Learning Center in Cape Girardeau, he said.

The center provides educational and therapeutic services for children with all types of disabilities, with 40 to 45 weeks of classes available a year.

Every Easter Seals office provides "what they perceive as the basic needs in their community," he said. "At our particular office, we do focus more on the children."

Last year's telethon raised more than $81,000 locally to benefit disabled children. Nationally, more than $43 million was raised for the Easter Seals Society.

This year's show will feature six children from the area: Abby Whitehead from Mississippi County, Katie Vandeven and Cassie Engelen from Bollinger County, Matthew Bullinger from Scott County and Tyler King and Nathan Shank from Cape Girardeau County.

Pledges can be made anytime by calling 1-800-366-9595.

In addition to the Early Learning Center services, the local Easter Seals office also provides a Loan-A-Seat program, through which parents can "rent" infant car seats for a fee of $10.

"That program is about to expand in a big way," Martin said. "We will be offering special adaptive car seats as well" for children with special needs.

The new seats should be available by the end of March, he said.

The center also offers a Friday Night Out respite care program in which a trained worker takes over child care to give parents a break away from the home, Martin said.