VOLUNTEERS ARE NEEDED TO HELP WITH LABOR DAY TELETHON FOR THE MDA

The Southeast Missouri Broadcast of the 1991 Jerry Lewis Labor Day Telethon to benefit the Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA) needs volunteers, said Ken Lucy, director of the local telethon.

The telethon will be held Sept. 1 at West Park Mall starting at 8 p.m. on Sept. 1 and continue until 6 p.m. on Sept. 2. It will be broadcast by KFVS-TV.

Lucy said volunteers are vital to the success of the telethon, both nationally and locally.

"Each year, they handle a variety of jobs, such as answering pledge phones and sorting pledge envelopes," he said. "The fantastic people of Southeast Missouri have always come through for MDA in the past and I'm sure we can count on them to make this year's telethon another record breaker."

Individuals or groups interested in volunteering should call the local MDA office at 335-4400 or toll free at 1-800-455-1234.

Last year, the telethon raised more than $44 million nationally, including more than $200,000 locally. It was the most successful year in telethon's history.

"The people of Cape Girardeau County can take great pride in their support of MDA's research and service programs," Lucy said.

The MDA uses 75 cents of every dollar donated to the organization for patient care, research, health education. The remaining 25 cents is used for fund-raising expenses and the organization's management costs.

The MDA conducts research into 40 neuromuscular diseases and provides free patient care to people with muscular diseases.

The national telethon, hosted by Jerry Lewis, will originate from the Sahara Hotel in Las Vegas.

Local segments amounting to about 20 minutes each hour will originate from the mall and from the DuQuoin State Fair in DuQuoin, Ill. Local segments will be hosted by KFVS-TV meteorologist Don McNeely and news anchor Mary Ann Maloney. KFVS is one of 200 television stations to broadcast the telethon.