MDA Revamps Kids’ Backyard Carnival
MDA has revived the tradition of the backyard carnival with a modern
twist. A complete instruction guide on holding an MDA carnival is
now available at www.mdacarnival.org.
An MDA carnival, a family activity offering fun for children, can
be held in vacant parking lots, churches, schools or back yards. It
may feature homemade carnival games, party games, silent auctions,
food, music and other fun, with ticket proceeds donated to MDA.
Rolling in the Aisles
Summertime is the season for smiles. For the
19th year, grocery stores and other retailers are turning their
stores into Aisles of Smiles to benefit MDA.
Across the country, consumers will purchase
products or buy mobiles with the Aisles logo. Participating manufacturers
guarantee a donation to MDA from every marked product that’s
sold.
Thanks to more than 150 retail chains and
outlets, last year’s in-store campaign and special events
raised more than $6.9 million for MDA.
MDA Telethon Seeks
Stars
MDA has launched its Stars Across America
talent search for the 2004 Jerry Lewis Labor Day Telethon. The
national show is looking for singers, dancers, comedians, bands
and novelty acts to perform on the Labor Day weekend broadcast.
To audition, send a VHS-format videotape of
your performance (no more than 4 minutes) to: Jerry Lewis MDA Talent
Search 2004, 7800 Beverly Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90036. Tapes must
be received by July 16.
Quest Receives Awards
in 2 National Competitions
Quest has earned three awards in national
competitions.
The March-April
2003 issue of MDA’s bimonthly magazine earned an Award
of Distinction in the Communicator Awards 2004 print media competition.
An Award of Distinction for feature writing went to MDA Medical
and Science Editor Margaret Wahl and Senior Writer Christina Medvescek
for stories on diagnosis and genetic testing in the May-June
2003 issue.
Quest received first-place honors in the Public
Affairs/Social Issue Series division of the Unity Awards in Media
for “The
Money Trail,” published in July-August 2003. The stories
about financial challenges were written by Medvescek, Senior Writer
Tara Wood and freelancer Kimberly Sullivan.
Grantee Elected to
Academy
Kevin Campbell, a longtime MDA grantee at
the University of Iowa in Iowa City, was elected in April to the
National Academy of Sciences. The designation is one of the nation’s
highest honors for scientists.
Founded in 1863, the academy advises the federal
government on matters of science or technology.
“MDA funding was critical for my research
progress over the last 20 years,” said Campbell, an investigator
for the Howard Hughes Medical Institute and a professor of physiology
and biophysics at Iowa.
Campbell’s work has led to the identification
of the molecular and genetic bases of several forms of muscular
dystrophy and provided a clearer understanding of the muscular dystrophy
disease processes.
MDA Spokesperson, Dog
Star in Radio Ad
Jan Blaustone, a contributing editor to Quest,
teamed up with her service dog, Polo, to record several radio spots
for Milk-Bone. The spots were aired in May and June in Birmingham,
Ala., Sonoma, Calif., and Chicago.
With help from Milk-Bone, Canine Assistants
in Alpharetta, Ga., provided Blaustone with Polo, a black Labrador
retriever. Polo opens and closes doors, turns on and off lights,
retrieves dropped items and gets help in emergencies.
Each year Milk-Bone sponsors more than 40
service dogs across the country through Canine Assistants (www.canineassistants.org).
A member of MDA’s National Task Force
on Public Awareness, Blaustone is a Nashville-based author and speaker.
