Ed. Note: Following the text of this article, there is a chart listing all the MDA Goodwill Ambassadors from 1952 to 1995.

Sylvester Stallone giving you a pendant from his neck ... Jerry Lewis clowning just for you ... doing homework on an airplane ... receiving a charm for your bracelet from Jacqueline Kennedy ... parades, gifts, TV appearances and constantly being photographed ... riding horses at Wayne Newton's Las Vegas ranch ... coming from rural Georgia or Michigan to the bustle of New York City ... Casey Kasem bringing you a hot dog ...

These are just a few of the special memories cited by 18 former MDA national poster children and goodwill ambassadors (the title used since 1993) as they look back on their childhood service to the Association. Chosen as youngsters for their communication skills and photogenic appeal to personify MDA, all now recall their days in the national spotlight with fondness and pride.

The words they use most often in describing the years they represented MDA are "fun, exciting and special." Looking back from their adult lives as entrepreneurs, writers, college students, public servants, spouses and parents, virtually all find that the poster child experience had a positive impact on their lives.

Since 1952, MDA has chosen a child with a neuromuscular disease to be featured in its promotional materials used nationwide. The national goodwill ambassador, with his or her family, travels to meet MDA sponsors, give interviews, appear at major fund-raisers and tell his or her own story of living with muscular dystrophy. Each district and state has a junior ambassador, who serves on that level.

SHINING MOMENTS

MDA ambassadors meet numerous entertainers, sports figures and government officials, whose support helps MDA. For many children, shaking hands with larger-than-life stars is the high point.

Of course, MDA National Chairman Jerry Lewis holds a special place. Those who were very young ambassadors most remember his antics: taking off his tuxedo pants on stage at Telethon, sticking a microphone in his mouth and generally clowning around.

For Matt Brown, who was 9 and 10 when he served as national poster child, the memories are more powerful. "It was a bonding time for me and Jerry," he says, recalling a moment when he and Lewis were about to go on stage at the Telethon. "He knew I was in pain, and he broke down to tears. That was a very special time for me."

Ben Teraberry recalls Lewis' "honest compassion" and his caution and protectiveness toward "his kids."

When Drew Johnson's family first met Lewis, they were impressed that he "put such emphasis on our older son, Scott," recalls Teri Johnson, the boys' mother. "Drew had gotten so much attention. It meant a lot to us that he paid attention to Scott."

Appearing on the Telethon with Lewis is also a standout memory. Teraberry was thrilled to meet former MDA Board member Bob Sampson at the broadcast. He adds, "One year, during one of the breaks, Casey Kasem came over and asked me if I wanted something to eat, then went to get me a hot dog and a Coke. What stands out are people who are really down to earth and who just really care."

Dozens of other stars made a lasting impression on the young fans.

Lisa Cagle Lewis says, "My mom thought my eyes were going to pop out of my head, they were so big from meeting these people -- like Frank Sinatra, Diana Ross, Sammy Davis Jr. and Jerry Lewis." Celebrities also stand out most in Mike Newsome's memory -- Robert Redford, Don Rickles, Patty Duke and, of course, Lewis.

Rocco Arizzi appeared in a Budweiser parade with Ed McMahon, and met Sylvester Stallone in Philadelphia when the actor was filming "Rocky II." "I met him on a talk show. He gave me a pendant right off his neck," Arizzi recollects.

Kathy Fallon, mother of sports fan Lance Fallon, easily pinpoints the highlight of her son's service: "When we went up to Green Bay and he got to see the Packers practice and met some of those football stars. He couldn't have been happier."

"Some poster children began lasting friendships with celebrities. Christopher Rush hit it off with singer Tony Orlando and they've kept in touch. Rush has visited Orlando in Branson, Mo., several times. Kelly Mahoney and Charo are penpals.

WHITE HOUSE VISITS

Since MDA began in 1950, U.S. presidents and first ladies, beginning with Bess Truman, have met MDA national goodwill ambassadors. Of the dozens of famous faces Kerri Whitaker Braun and her brother, Rob Whitaker, met during their two years of service to MDA, three stand out: President Kennedy, Attorney General Robert Kennedy and actress Patty Duke, then MDA's national youth chairperson.

After meeting JFK in the Oval Office in June 1963, they felt a deep personal loss when he was assassinated in November. In 1964, the Whitakers were greeted at the White House by first lady Lady Bird Johnson. They visited Kennedy's grave at Arlington National Cemetery, a memorable event they describe as very moving.

Duke was starring in "The Patty Duke Show" on television and had just won an Oscar for her performance in "The Miracle Worker," but it was her friendliness that impressed the Whitakers. Braun remembers, "She was so sweet and friendly and didn't seem like a star or a celebrity. She was just like a normal teenager."

LASTING IMPACT

The former MDA national poster children who are now adults look at their experiences as profound forces in shaping their futures. They cite irreplaceable benefits such as the opportunity to travel, an awareness of the larger world, a feeling of importance, exposure to successful adults with neuromuscular disorders, career ideas, and increasing self-confidence.

Lola Lucas was a bright and outgoing girl who enjoyed imitating Elvis Presley, talking and singing, especially the song "High Hopes." Today she notes, "What I do now is so much of a continuation that I chuckle to myself sometimes -- traveling and speaking (about career planning) and encouraging high hopes. I talk to people about why it's important to use the time that you have alive to be most alive. It was phenomenal training for the work I do now."

Holly Schmidt Maurice's horizons were broadened by her years as MDA ambassador. "I didn't really have a connection with other disabled people. I didn't know any when I was younger. Then, when I started working for MDA, that gave me the opportunity to meet other disabled people and realize I wasn't the only one," she says.

The experience gave Lisa Lewis strength. "If I hadn't been as involved with MDA back then, I don't think I would be as strong a person as I am today. It gave me the willpower to want to grow up and be 'normal.'"

For several of the children, new attention was focused on their abilities and achievements. Brown traces his self-confidence to his poster child service, which began at the local level.

"When I was 4 years old, I started fund raising and getting some recognition for being good at something," he says. "Speaking for MDA was something I did well, and it made me feel good. It made me feel proud, because I knew I was making a difference. And to be so good at it that I was selected as national poster child was one of the proudest moments in my life."

Rush cites another lasting benefit. "As a disabled person, it's really important to be able to communicate well with people. One thing I gained from that experience is being able to personalize and communicate very well," he says.

RIPPLE EFFECT

The personal benefits extend beyond the poster child. Ashley Antolak's older brother, Anthony, 14, is traveling to Europe this summer. Their mother, Donna, believes "he would not be quite as interested and we wouldn't be quite as open to letting him go if we hadn't traveled so much. He's willing to go out and meet new people and is a lot more accepting of new environments."

Both Scott and Drew Johnson are leaders in school and comfortable dealing with adults. "I don't know of another child anywhere around here who's met the president once, much less twice," Teri Johnson says. "Every report they write, everything they talk about in school, every show and tell, has to do with trips that we made and things we did [as MDA ambassador family]. It also brought positive attention to Drew so that now that his disease is becoming more obvious, people are very accepting of him."

Several former national poster children are still active leaders of MDA, serving as chapter officers or members of local task forces and organizing fundraisers. Arizzi received MDA's 1993 South Texas Chapter Personal Achievement Award.

Whitaker likes going to MDA SuperDances, "meeting the young people and thanking them and educating them about the research that's going on and the great strides we've made." Peggy MacKenzie Overbey helps organize a major basketball tournament for MDA, and Rush is hosting the third annual Christopher Rush Annual Golf Classic for MDA at the Dearborn Country Club this summer.

FUN AND HARD WORK

The former poster children agreed that they and their families worked hard during their ambassadorships -- sometimes traveling on short notice, making hours of public appearances each day, meeting hundreds of new people, posing for endless photographs.

Overbey's poster photo shows her holding a bird cage. She remembers a long and uncomfortable photography session as a 6-year- old. "You know how much that thing weighed? It was solid metal. My arms kept getting tired because that bird cage was so heavy."

As a poster child, Whitaker learned through news reports that his life expectancy was shortened by his neuromuscular disease, something he hadn't realized. "I became aware of the seriousness of the illness at a much earlier age than a lot of people have to deal with it," he says. He also read an interview in which his parents said they'd originally planned a large family but decided not to have more children after he and Kerri were both born with spinal muscular atrophy.

A couple of the former MDA ambassadors reported some difficulty readjusting to life as "normal" children after receiving special treatment and spending most of their time with adults for a year or more. But to the dissidents who claim poster children are "exploited," the common response of MDA's veterans was, "Shut up."

"If you don't somehow pull at the heartstrings of people sitting on the other side of the television, they're never going to give you the money that you need," Overbey says. "And if that means you have to show the reality of children having this disease, then I don't think that's exploitation."

Maurice's view is: "They can 'exploit' me all they want as long as it gets research to get me out of this wheelchair. I was not exploited. I was treated exceptionally. I'm extremely grateful for everything MDA has ever done."

Arizzi agrees with Whitaker that the news media, not MDA, exploit the stories of children with serious diseases by focusing on suffering and death. Adds Rush, "MDA did their best to make it a dignified experience."

CAREFUL HANDLING

When asked to allow their child to serve as MDA national ambassador, parents carefully weigh the demands that being an ambassador family presents. Those who accept the challenge see it as a way to contribute to the fight against neuromuscular diseases.

The Johnson family viewed their national service to MDA as "an opportunity to represent hope," says Sam Johnson, Drew's father. "We tried to concentrate on areas where we were making progress and attach a face of a family to that progress."

During their ambassador activities, the children are always accompanied by at least one parent who can monitor the child's fatigue and comfort. Antolak recalls that her parents "would always ask me if I wanted to do something, not say, `this is what we're going to do.'"

Families who represent MDA are deeply moved by the support expressed by MDA national sponsors and others. Laura Mahoney, Kelly's mom, cites the major benefit for her family as "becoming aware of how many people care, as well as learning about issues related to employment and access."

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"I was not exploited. I was treated exceptionally. I'm extremely grateful for everything MDA has ever done."

-- Holly Schmidt Maurice

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To Sam Johnson, "Without question, the best thing was being around the people with the sponsors, the people that make things happen. Their attitude, their spirit of giving, their openness and desire to help is just energizing." The family overcame any nervousness by simply telling "what was on our hearts." Johnson adds, "Not one time were we ever told what to say, or who to thank or anything else. MDA gave us the microphone and we did our thing."

MAKING IT BETTER

The former national MDA poster children treasure their ambassador experiences and have few suggestions for improving the program -- except one. Although even the youngest understood they were "helping kids like me," as Bazan says, most of those who were 4 to 7 years old as poster kids agree with Christi Bartlett: "I wish I could have been older so I'd realize just how big an honor it was to meet these celebrities and represent MDA."

Most say they like the change of title to "goodwill ambassador," though some don't think terminology makes much difference.

When the child was featured primarily on posters and still photographs, the title "poster child" was more appropriate. Whitaker recalls that an MDA staff member even saw a poster of him and Kerri under a bridge in Venice while riding in a gondola on vacation.

Whitaker explains, "I believe in the goodwill ambassador theory, the idea of having a person who lives with this disease every day going out and speaking with people. I think it's very effective."

Brown would like to see MDA represented by "older, well-educated children who can speak for themselves. It doesn't matter what you call them."

And he adds, "I was, am and always will be proud to be called a former MDA national poster child."