ASU STUDENT FIGHTS BACK AGAINST MUSCULAR DYSTROPHY IN VOLUNTEER LEADER ROLE

TUCSON, Ariz., Dec. 13, 2000 - For the fifth consecutive year, 20-year-old Amanda "Mandy" Van Benthuysen of San Diego will serve as National Youth Chairperson for the Muscular Dystrophy Association.

Mandy is a junior at Arizona State University in Tempe, majoring in broadcasting, and planning a career as a television reporter. During 2001, she'll continue to fill the MDA position that's made her a nationally recognized youth leader and drawn widespread media coverage.

The daughter of Thom and Ginny Van Benthuysen of San Diego, Mandy is affected by the limb-girdle form of muscular dystrophy, a progressive condition affecting the muscles of the shoulders, lower trunk and upper legs. She uses a wheelchair or motorized scooter part-time and also is affected by juvenile arthritis.

In announcing her selection for a fifth year as MDA's youth chairperson, MDA National Chairman Jerry Lewis said, "Mandy is a tremendous asset to MDA, a wonderful and articulate spokesperson who's helped educate thousands of young people about the work MDA does. We're thankful for her qualities of optimism and positive energy which have proved so effective in inspiring others to support our urgent cause."

By attracting volunteer support for MDA, Mandy is advancing MDA's long-standing effort to make life better for people affected by neuromuscular diseases through programs of research, clinic services, summer camp and public information.

"MDA is a great cause for anyone to support, but for me and my family it's particularly important because we want the research to keep moving ahead at full speed," Mandy says. "There's no question that treatments and cures will be found. But we need to support MDA as enthusiastically as possible so those breakthroughs will come sooner rather than later."

Apart from knowing she's helping to advance research, Mandy gains other satisfactions from her MDA involvement.

"Being part of a larger cause has made a big difference in my whole life, in my confidence and self-esteem," says Mandy, who's been volunteering for MDA since she was 8 years old.

"Volunteering is great for everybody, because you get back as much as you give," she says. "If you can find an hour of your day -- or even 15 minutes -- to help others, you can give a very valuable gift to others, and to yourself, too."

As MDA's youth chairperson since 1997, Mandy's role involves attending national conventions of youth groups that support the Association; speaking, writing and giving media interviews about volunteering and fund-raising; and hosting a youth segment on the national broadcast of the Jerry Lewis MDA Telethon.

Her travel schedule for next year includes the national career conference of DECA, an association of marketing students, in Anaheim, Calif.; the Kappa Alpha Order convention in Savannah, Ga.; and the MDA Telethon in Los Angeles on Labor Day Weekend.

In the last several years, Mandy has appeared on the cover of Parade magazine three times, pictured with such notable figures as Jerry Lewis and Gen. Colin Powell.

At ASU, Mandy is a member of Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority and carries a full class schedule. During summers, she gains experience as a volunteer intern at television station KUSI in San Diego. She is a graduate of Serra High School in San Diego.

MDA is a voluntary health agency working to defeat neuromuscular diseases through programs of worldwide research, comprehensive services, and far-reaching professional and public health education.

For more information, call (800) 572-1717 or check MDA's Web site at www.mda.org.