MDA AMONG TOP GRANT MAKING AGENCIES

TUCSON, Ariz., Aug. 3, 1998 -- The Muscular Dystrophy Association has been listed by a national publication as one of the top 25 makers of grants to other nonprofit organizations among American charities.

The Chronicle of Philanthropy reports that the newly updated National Directory of Grantmaking Public Charities, published by the Foundation Center in New York (www.fdncenter.org), names MDA as one of only four voluntary health agencies among the top 25. More than 1,000 charities, including 451 community foundations, were reviewed and ranked by the Foundation Center.

MDA was recognized for the $19.6 million in research grants it awarded during 1996 to universities, hospitals and other institutions where scientists are in pursuit of cures and treatments for the 40 neuromuscular disorders in MDA's program. MDA currently spends nearly $25 million a year, or $40 a minute, on research to help more than a million Americans and tens of millions worldwide.

"We're proud of this recognition for MDA's worldwide leadership in neuromuscular disease research," said Robert Ross, MDA senior vice president and executive director. "Thanks largely to public support of our Jerry Lewis Labor Day Telethon, our cutting-edge research is rapidly propelling us toward cures for muscle-wasting diseases. MDA investigators also have pioneered breakthroughs that may well lead to therapies for heart disease, cancer, AIDS, Alzheimer's, Huntington's, Parkinson's and cystic fibrosis."

The Association annually funds some 400 teams of researchers around the world, and is the nation's largest provider of neuromuscular disease research among nonprofit organizations.

MDA is currently preparing to begin human trials of gene therapy in at least two forms of muscular dystrophy. In the past decade, MDA researchers have uncovered the causes of most of the genetic diseases in its program; helped develop drug therapies for several neuromuscular disorders, including amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (Lou Gehrig's disease); and increased understanding of the effects of muscle weakness in many disorders.

In addition to its research program, MDA offers the most comprehensive services program of any national voluntary health organization. The Association maintains a nationwide network of some 230 hospital-affiliated MDA clinics offering diagnostic and follow-up services.

MDA also provides people with neuromuscular disorders with assistance with purchase and repair of wheelchairs and leg braces; consultations for physical, occupational and respiratory therapy; annual flu vaccinations; support groups for patients and family members; summer camps for children; and up-to-date information.

MDA was the first nonprofit organization to be honored by the American Medical Association with a Lifetime Achievement Award "for significant and lasting contributions to the health and welfare of humanity."

The Jerry Lewis MDA Labor Day Telethon will be broadcast Sept. 6-7, originating from CBS Television City in Hollywood and carried by some 200 television stations to some 75 million viewers. The first worldwide telethon, the 21½-hour show will also be transmitted live on the Internet via the Association's home page, www.mda.org, to tens of millions. The Webcast will use streaming audio and video technologies provided by RealNetworks.

MDA is a voluntary health agency working to defeat 40 neuromuscular diseases through programs of worldwide research, comprehensive services, and far-reaching professional and public health education. The Association's programs are funded almost entirely by individual private contributors. The disorders in MDA's program include nine forms of muscular dystrophy, ALS, spinal muscular atrophy, Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease, myasthenia gravis, polymyositis, dermatomyositis, Friedreich's ataxia, periodic paralysis, metabolic diseases of muscles and several other myopathies. For more information or referrals to MDA clinics, call the MDA help line at (800) 572-1717 or go to mdausa.org on the Internet.