Allen Fire Fighters Fill the Boot with Donations for MDA

Allen fire fighters will raise money for the Muscular Dystrophy Association on August 19, 20 and 21 through MDA's Fill the Boot campaign.

Off-duty Allen fire fighters will ask residents and passersby to make contributions for the fight against muscle disease for three days at various intersections throughout the city. Fire fighters will be at the intersections of Bethany Drive and Greenville Avenue and Alma Drive and McDermott Drive from 7 to 9 a.m. on Friday, August 19. Fire fighters will collect again at U.S. Highway 75 and Bethany Drive and U.S. Highway 75 and Stacy Road from 8 a.m. to noon on Saturday, August 20. Allen fire fighters will collect funds one last time from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Sunday, August 21 at U.S. Highway 75 and Bethany Drive and U.S. Highway 75 and Stacy Road.

In 2010, Allen fire fighters raised $12,618, and the department hopes to exceed that amount this year.

Proceeds collected from Fill the Boot aid local children and adults with neuromuscular disease by providing research, clinic visits and Children's Medical Center of Dallas, Texas Neurology, Texoma Neurology Associates and The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, support groups, and a week-long summer camp at Camp John Marc in Meridian for children ages 6 to 17.

MDA is the nonprofit health agency dedicated to curing muscular dystrophy, ALS and related diseases by funding worldwide research. The Association also provides comprehensive health care and support services, advocacy and education. MDA's annual Labor Day Telethon will air locally Sunday, September 4 from 5 p.m. to midnight on TXA21. Up-to-date information about MDA services and research can be found at www.MDA.org.

For more information, please contact Courtney Marshall at 972-480-0011 or Kelsey McGonigle at 972-480-0070.

MDA Receives $1,500 CVS Caremark Community Grant

DALLAS, Texas – AUGUST 11, 2011 – The Muscular Dystrophy Association announced today that it has received a $1,500 CVS Caremark Community Grant. MDA’s mission is closely aligned with CVS Caremark All Kids Can, the company’s signature philanthropic program focused on supporting children with disabilities.  The grant from CVS Caremark will help MDA send children to MDA Summer Camp.

Approximately 90 children with neuromuscular disease from across North Texas attend MDA Summer Camp at Camp John Marc in Meridian, Texas each year. Children ages 6 to 17 spend the “best week of the year” among friends where physical disabilities are the rule rather than the exception. This year’s Summer Camp lasted June 19 through June 24, and campers enjoyed power hockey, blow darts, water games, arts & crafts, a ropes challenge course, Camp dances, horseback riding, swimming, talent shows, and more. MDA Summer Camp is free of charge to families thanks to corporations, groups and individuals who raise funds for the Association.

“MDA Summer Camp is the week that our kids think about year-round,” said Jim Brown, MDA Regional Director. “The CVS Caremark Community Grant will help us facilitate many Camp activities.”

“We are committed to making a positive impact in the communities where we live and work and the CVS Caremark Community grants program does just that by supporting organizations that truly make a difference in the lives of children and families,” said Karen Ramos, Senior Manager, Community Relations, CVS Caremark Corporation.  “We are proud to support the work that MDA does in the community and we look forward to working with them in the year ahead.”

MDA was selected to receive a grant through the CVS Caremark Community Grants 2010 grant application process.  Grants were awarded to organizations that share a common vision with CVS Caremark’s All Kids Can program, which strives to make life easier for children with disabilities.  The goal of the All Kids Can program is create more inclusive environments for children with and without disabilities to build self-esteem, lasting friendships and social skills, and to help children without disabilities learn diversity and tolerance.

“CVS Caremark is committed to helping children with disabilities learn, play and succeed in life,” said Dennis Palmer, Senior Vice President, CVS Caremark.  “Through this grant, we are able to help make an impact on the lives of children in the Dallas community.”

MDA is the nonprofit health agency dedicated to curing muscular dystrophy, ALS and related diseases by funding worldwide research. The Association also provides comprehensive health care and support services, advocacy and education. MDA’s annual Labor Day Telethon will be broadcast in the Dallas/Fort Worth area Sunday, September 4 from 5 p.m. to midnight on TXA 21. Up-to-date information about MDA services and research can be found at www.MDA.org.

About CVS Caremark All Kids Can

All Kids Can, a program of the CVS Caremark Charitable Trust and CVS Caremark, is a five-year, $25 million commitment to support children with disabilities. The goals of All Kids Can are to support children with disabilities by raising awareness in schools and in local communities about the importance of inclusion, creating greater opportunities for physical activity and play, and providing access to medical rehabilitation and related services. CVS Caremark and its more than 190,000 employees plan to help children with disabilities learn, play and succeed through partnerships with leading local and national nonprofit organizations such as Easter Seals and many others across the country. For more information, visit http://www.cvsallkidscan.com.

Bid Muscle Disease Farewell During Telethon Online Auction

The Muscular Dystrophy Association is opening its fifth annual Telethon Online Auction August 25 through September 8.

The Telethon Online Auction works in conjunction with MDA's annual Labor Day Telethon, which will be broadcast Sunday, September 4. Items donated to the auction include a basketball signed by J.J. Barea from the National Basketball Association's 2011 Champion Dallas Mavericks, a seven day Holland America Caribbean or Mexican cruise for two, two round trip AirTran tickets, a $5,000 Hearts On Fire diamond necklace and much more. This year's major Telethon Online Auction sponsor is CITGO.

MDA will continue to receive items until the auction ends. To preview or donate auction items, visit www.goMDAauction.com.

MDA is the nonprofit health agency dedicated to curing muscular dystrophy, ALS and related diseases by funding worldwide research. The Association also provides comprehensive health care and support services, advocacy and education. Up-to-date information about MDA services and research can be found at www.MDA.org.

For more information, please contact Carmen Holmes or Kelsey McGonigle at 972-480-0070.

Firefighters Fill the Boot for MDA During Tax Free Weekend

The Sherman and Denison Firefighter Associations will join forces to raise money for the Muscular Dystrophy Association on August 19 and 20 through MDA's Fill the Boot campaign.

Shoppers taking advantage of tax free weekend will be greeted by firefighters with boots in hand at three Sherman hotspots. Firefighters will fill their boots with donations for MDA at Sherman Town Center the afternoon of August 19 and all day August 20. Firefighters will also be collecting all day on Saturday, August 20 at Sherman's Lowe's Home Improvement and Sherman's Sam's Club.

Working separately in 2010, Denison's fire department raised over $3,500 for MDA, and Sherman's fire department raised $6,400. By combining their efforts during one of the busiest shopping holidays in 2011, the Sherman and Denison Firefighter Associations hope to raise more money for MDA this year than either department ever has before.

Proceeds collected from Fill the Boot aid local children and adults with neuromuscular disease by providing research, clinic visits and Texoma Neurology Associates, support groups and a week-long summer camp at Camp John Marc in Meridian for children ages 6 to 17.

MDA is the nonprofit health agency dedicated to curing muscular dystrophy, ALS and related diseases by funding worldwide research. The Association also provides comprehensive health care and support services, advocacy, and education. Up-to-date information about MDA services and research can be found at www.MDA.org.

MDA Provides "Knowledge to Success" to Young Adults

The Muscular Dystrophy Association is hosting its third annual Knowledge to Success on Saturday, August 20 from 9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. in the Independence Conference Room at Children's Medical Center of Dallas for young adults aged 16 to 25 living with neuromuscular disease.

At this empowerment seminar, the Arlington and Dallas campuses of The University of Texas, Canine Companions for Independence, Dallas Area Rapid Transit Paratransit, and more local colleges and organizations will offer young adults living with neuromuscular disease guidance on how best to gain independence after high school. Breakfast and lunch will be provided courtesy of United Rehab Specialists, and guests will be able to ask questions about attending college and entering the workforce.

"Many young adults with neuromuscular disease end up living at home after high school because of the roadblocks they face finding a job or attending college," said MDA Health Care Services Coordinator Jennifer Garst. "We started the annual Knowledge to Success seminar to give the families we serve a place to go ask questions and learn more about college and working."

Knowledge to Success is open to any young adult aged 16 to 25. Those who wish to attend Knowledge to Success must RSVP by August 17 to MDA Health Care Services at 972-480-0016.

MDA is the nonprofit health agency dedicated to curing muscular dystrophy, ALS and related diseases by funding worldwide research. The Association also has the new Transitions Resource Center focused on the needs, goals and hopes of young people with neuromuscular disease at www.MDA.org/Transitions. MDA's annual Labor Day Telethon will be broadcast in the Dallas/Fort Worth area Sunday, September 4 from 5 p.m. to midnight on TXA 21.

For more information, please contact Jennifer Garst at 972-480-0016 or Kelsey McGonigle at 972-480-0070.

Shorter MDA Labor Day Telethon Airs Locally on TXA 21

TXA 21 will broadcast the Muscular Dystrophy Association's annual Labor Day Telethon live from Las Vegas on Sunday, September 4.

The Telethon will begin with a one-hour local special at 5 p.m. on the Metroplex's new Love Network station, TXA 21. The national Telethon will air from 6 p.m. to midnight, a change from MDA's traditional 21 1/2-hour format. CBS 11 News Anchor Karen Borta and CBS 11/TXA 21 Chief Meteorologist Larry Mowry will present information about local MDA services and families every half hour. Representatives from Sonic, Tom Thumb, Albertsons, Kroger, Lowe's Home Improvement, Heartland Jiffy Lube and North Texas fire fighters will answer pledge phones during the evening.

The 2011 national MDA Telethon co-hosts are So You Think You Can Dance's Nigel Lythgoe, Entertainment Tonight's Nancy O'Dell, The Biggest Loser's Alison Sweeney, and Emmy-winning journalist Jann Carl. MDA National Goodwill Ambassador Abbey Umali will also be featured on the show along with country music superstars Darius Rucker, Lady Antebellum, Martina McBride and more.

MDA is the nonprofit health agency dedicated to curing muscular dystrophy, ALS and related diseases by funding worldwide research. Donated funds support MDA's services locally and nationally, including medical clinics staffed with specialists in neuromuscular disease like Children's Medical Center of Dallas, Texas Neurology, Texoma Neurology Associates, Neurology Associates of Arlington, Cook Children's Medical Center, and The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center. Up-to-date information about MDA services and research can be found at www.MDA.org.

For more information, please contact Anita Stevenson or Kelsey McGonigle at 972-480-0070.

Tom Thumb Mobiles Send Kids to MDA Summer Camp

Tom Thumb and the Muscular Dystrophy Association are teaming up for their annual "Send a Kid to Camp" in-store fundraising campaign August 1 through September 5 to raise funds for MDA Summer Camp.

Tom Thumb customers can purchase "Send a Kid to Camp" mobiles with a contribution of $1 or more to MDA as they check out at any North Texas store. One hundred percent of the donations will go toward sending children with neuromuscular disease to MDA Summer Camp.

Approximately 90 children with neuromuscular disease from across North Texas attend MDA Summer Camp at Camp John Marc in Meridian, Texas each year. Children ages 6 to 17 spend the "best week of the year" among friends where physical disabilities are the rule rather than the exception. This year's Summer Camp lasted June 19 through June 24, and campers enjoyed power hockey, blow darts, water games, arts & crafts, a ropes challenge course, Camp dances, horseback riding, swimming, talent shows, and more. MDA Summer Camp is free of charge to families thanks to corporations, groups and individuals who raise funds for the Association.

"Tom Thumb is proud to join forces with customers and associates to help send children to Summer Camp," said Tom Thumb Director of Public Affairs Connie Yates. "It means so much for us to be involved with the Muscular Dystrophy Association."

Tom Thumb has a long tradition of assisting the Muscular Dystrophy Association with Camp and other signature MDA events. Each year at Camp, Tom Thumb presents a cooking class for campers. In addition, the grocer coordinates a group of employees to volunteer at the annual MDA Labor Day Telethon and donates gift cards for the Telethon Online Auction. During the Telethon, Tom Thumb presents a check from the "Send a Kid to Camp" fundraising campaign.

MDA is the nonprofit health agency dedicated to curing muscular dystrophy, ALS and related diseases by funding worldwide research. The Association also provides comprehensive health care and support services, advocacy and education. MDA's annual Labor Day Telethon will be broadcast in the Dallas/Fort Worth area Sunday, September 4 from 5 p.m. to midnight on TXA 21. Up-to-date information about MDA services and research can be found at www.MDA.org.

For more information, please contact Jim Brown or Kelsey McGonigle at 972-480-0070.