MDA SEEKS VOLUNTEERS FOR
2004 SUMMER CAMP

TUCSON, Ariz., Nov. 19, 2003 — The Muscular Dystrophy Association is in search of volunteers to serve as summer camp counselors. This year's week-long MDA camps will be held throughout the summer at more than 70 locations across the country.

Camp counselors are required to be at least 16 years old and must be physically able to lift a young person between ages 6 and 21. Each counselor is assigned to serve as a companion for a camper who is affected by a neuromuscular disease. Counselors help their campers with daily activities such as feeding, bathing and dressing, and in recreational activities such as arts and crafts, swimming and horseback riding.

"Kids with progressive neuromuscular diseases look forward to MDA summer camp year-round," MDA President & CEO Robert Ross said. "Our campers get to experience a world in which all indoor and outdoor activities are especially adapted to their abilities. MDA summer camp offers a feeling of comfort and freedom, allowing kids to feel at home in a place where having a neuromuscular disease is the norm.”

MDA’s summer camp program includes more than 4,000 campers nationwide. MDA offers camp free of charge to families it serves.

MDA is a voluntary health agency dedicated to finding treatments and cures for more than 40 neuromuscular diseases affecting more than a million Americans.

To obtain a volunteer application or learn about other ways to support MDA's summer camp program, call the MDA office nearest you or call MDA national headquarters at (800) 572-1717. Information about MDA's programs can be found at www.mda.org.