A good response

The Jerry Lewis telethon for the Muscular Dystrophy Association is as much a part of Labor Day as parades and picnics. This year's telethon, however, was held as the nation reeled from the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina along the Gulf Coast. Americans were generously donating millions of dollars to aid storm victims, and now they were being asked to contribute for MDA research and support.

As soon as the hurricane's devastation became obvious, Jerry Lewis quickly made it known that this year's telethon donations would also be shared with relief efforts in Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama.

And telethon viewers responded. Locally, the telethon aired on KFVS-12 and held at Affenberg Autopark raised nearly $480,000, $40,000 thousand more than the local telethon raised last year.

This is another example of the caring nature and generosity Southeast Missourians have for people in need. Special thanks go to everyone involved in the Labor Day telethon and to the thousands of donors who heeded the pleas for help.

It is this kind of response that makes us all proud to be Southeast Missourians.