MUSCULAR DYSTROPHY ASSOCIATION SEEKS VOLUNTEER SUMMER CAMP COUNSELORS

The Muscular Dystrophy Association is currently seeking applications from people who would like to volunteer to spend a week as counselors at the MDA summer camp at Babler State Park in Wildwood, Mo.

Volunteers will act as companions to campers (ages 6-21) with neuromuscular diseases during the camp session to be held June 25-July 1. Counselors, preferably 18 years and older, are called upon to push wheelchairs, lift campers, and assist with grooming, dressing, and feeding, plus help kids participate in the fun activities that come with summer camp, including swimming, horseback riding, arts and crafts, and adaptive sports.

"Camp is the highlight of the summer for the campers and volunteers. It's one week of the year when youngsters with muscle-wasting disorders are able to fully participate in a wide range of group outdoor activities that are tailored for their limited mobility," says Ken Lucy, MDA Regional Director. "MDA summer camp has a relaxed atmosphere which allows campers to develop self-confidence and form lifelong friendships."

More than 4,000 campers are expected to attend MDA camps this year. With the help of one-on-one volunteers, campers will enjoy a wide range of sports, recreation and nature activities.

MDA is a national voluntary health agency dedicated to finding treatments and cures for neuromuscular diseases affecting more than a million Americans. The Association receives no governmental grants, nor does it seek fees from the families it serves.

For more information or to volunteer, call the local MDA office in St. Louis at (314) 9620023 or MDA national headquarters at 800-572-1717. Information about MDA programs and research advances is also available on MDA's Web site at www.mdausa.org.