Kenny Rogers Children's Center in Sikeston holding telethon this weekend

SIKESTON, Mo. -- Most everyone in the Bootheel area knows the Kenny Rogers Children's Center exists. But not everyone knows what it does -- or the children it helps.

So, along with the fundraising efforts, the 29th annual telethon, set for today and Sunday at weekend at the Sikeston Fieldhouse. helps to educate people -- with some help from patients chosen as poster children.

"Attitude changes may be affected by seeing a child's picture in the paper that people know and maybe they didn't even realize the child was receiving services," said Michelle Fayette, executive director of the center. "It shows people that we don't just treat children in wheelchairs and with cerebral palsy."

Although there will be entertainment and other events, such as the Telethon Idol contest, this weekend, the children are the spotlight, especially the poster children. "Being selected as a poster child gives the center an opportunity to put kids on a stage and celebrate their successes and progress," said Fayette.

Fayette said poster children are nominated by therapists at the center, based on those who have made significant process since beginning therapy. "Sometimes, we select kids because of a very unique diagnosis or a specialty therapy intervention they are receiving at the center," she said.

The poster children aren't only representative of the services provided at the Kenny Rogers Children's Center but also the area it serves. Fayette said there are two children selected from Scott County, and others from Mississippi, New Madrid and other surrounding counties.

This year's selected children are Keller Breuer, Hannah Lewis, Chase Cobb, Samantha Smith and Ben Swiney.

Keller, 2, receives physical and speech therapy at the center, as he has developmental delays associated with a rare disorder called semilobar holoprosencephaly.

According to his therapist, during speech therapy, Keller works to increase his language as well as work on speech skills to increase how well others understand him. In physical therapy, Keller has learned to stand with little or no support and is able to walk with the assistance of a walker.

"His goal is to walk independently and with his continued hard work, determination and that smile, we are all convinced that he will achieve that goal," Keller's therapist wrote.

Three-year-old Hannah came to the center when she was 14 months old. She has a visual impairment caused by damage to her optic nerve and receives physical and occupational therapy.

"Since she doesn't have the ability to see, she has to learn to use other senses in her body such as touch, hearing, smelling and tasting. Hannah is now able to explore her environment with the use of her cane and is learning how to move over uneven surfaces like curbs or playground areas," said Hannah's therapist.

Through her therapy, Hannah has also started talking and loves to sing along with her favorite songs. "Although Hannah may be limited in what she is able to see, she is a very determined little girl," her therapist said.

Therapists at the center described Chase, 3, as a boy "with a contagious laugh and a silly sense of humor."

Just over a year ago, Chase was diagnosed with a rare disorder that causes muscle weakness throughout his body and he also had a stroke. At the center, he is able to improve his developmental skills when playing with his physical, occupational and speech therapists. He is increasing his language skills to express his wants and needs during the day.

According to therapists, Chase has improved his ability to sit and play with toys, one of his favorite being shaving cream.

"Though many of his doctors were doubtful about his recovery, Chase is now taking small steps in a gait trainer and learning to talk again," his therapists said. "We know that Chase is going to keep on proving those doctors wrong."

Samantha, 14, "smiles and the room lights up," therapists said. Samantha receives occupational therapy at the center to address sensory and auditory processing problems. She works on sequencing activities appropriately to allow her to complete tasks like her homework by herself.

"She is making good progress in her abilities to complete multistep directions with fewer cues and to attempt new and novel activities," her therapists said.

Sam loves to play hangman and bake cookies for her friends and family, her therapist added.

Rounding out this year's poster children is Ben, 9. Therapists described him as "very inquisitive."

Ben has come to the center since he was 18 months and receives physical, occupational and speech therapy. During occupational therapy, Ben works on using his eyes together for increased eye contact during communication and longer focus during classroom assignments. The speech therapist helps Ben learned to produce full sentences and to make sounds more clearly so that others understand him better.

His coordination has also improved and Ben's teachers have remarked that they are very pleased with his progress in school this year. "The sky is the limit for our curious Ben," therapists said.