PANAMA CITY COMMUNITY LEADERS TO SERVE TIME BEHIND BARS TO BENEFIT MDA

These “jailbirds” have all been charged with having a big heart and are heavily armed with kindness. Upon apprehension by MDA officers, bail raisers will be booked and processed and their sentence is to serve time at MDA’s maximum appreciation jail site at the Black Angus restaurant, 4500 W. Highway 98.

The monetary goal for this event is $165,000, which can help send several children to MDA’s annual summer camp in Port St. Joe, Fla., for children, ages 6 to 21 whose have one of the 43 neuromuscular diseases covered by MDA.

Incentives for the jailbirds, which will be awarded during the event, include key chains, T-shirts, gift certificates from local businesses and invitations to appear on the Jerry Lewis Labor Day Telethon on September 4, 2006, which can be viewed locally in Panama City on WMBB-TV 13.

In addition, there will be three local MDA members and families who will be present throughout the day to encourage the jailbirds to make their bail, as well as a live broadcast from the TELU site with New Rock, 97X.
The MDA Telethon Executive Lock-Up (TELU) is part of a year long fundraising campaign, which is spearheaded by the annual Jerry Lewis Labor Day Telethon.

Proceeds from Panama City’s TELU will not only benefit MDA’s summer camp, but also assist MDA families in Northwest Florida. MDA also provides assistance in the purchases of wheelchairs, leg braces, and communication devices for their clients and offers several support groups. Individuals can also visit MDA’s clinic in Panama City at Health South Emerald Coast Rehabilitation Hospital

MDA (www.mdausa.org) is a non-profit organization funded almost entirely by individual private contributors and is the number one provider of neuromuscular research. This voluntary health agency works to defeat more than 40 neuromuscular diseases through programs of worldwide research, comprehensive services, and far-reaching professional and public health education. MDA also has more than 200 offices across the country, sponsors 230 hospital-affiliated clinics and supports nearly 400 research projects around the world.

For more information about the Panama City TELU or MDA, please contact Kelli Skodinski at the Jacksonville Regional office at (904) 642-2656 or Crystal Lee at the Tallahassee district office at (850) 681-6763.

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