FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 19, 2002 — MDA

Local Youth Attends MDA Summer Camp

WAUSEON, OH - Travis Coll, 9, of Wauseon, recently spent the week showing off his new electric wheelchair during MDA Summer Camp - a program that caters to the needs of young people like himself with muscular dystrophy.

Thirty-five children and young adults from the Toledo area with neuromuscular disease, including Coll, participated in the weeklong summer camp sponsored by the Muscular Dystrophy Association from July 28 to August 3 at Camp Miakonda in Sylvania Township.

"I liked 'taking walks' at camp in my new wheelchair," he said. "I also got to play archery and baseball and make arts and crafts. Camp is a time for me to get away from home and participate in all different kinds of activities."

Since 1955, young people ages 6-21 with a neuromuscular disease have attended MDA summer camps. Hundreds of volunteers staff the camps and donate countless hours to ensure that each camper enjoys activities tailored to his or her special needs. Campers play a wide range of games including euchre, football and softball, and participate in other activities such as a magic show, crafts and a tug-of-war. They are paired up with at least one volunteer attendant for the entire week. Volunteers must be at least 16 years old, be interviewed by MDA staff and are subject to background checks.

Volunteer counselors are essential to the summer camp program. They work one-on-one with campers around the clock, providing the care, close supervision and attention a person with a neuromuscular disease needs. Counselors push wheelchairs, lift and carry the campers, and even "bunk down" near the campers. However, the counselor's biggest job is to make sure their camper is having the time of his or her life.

Ashley Bilek, 19, of Toledo, was Coll's attendant for the second year in a row. A special-education student at Owens Community College, she started volunteering in high school and kept coming back because of the impact it made on her life.

"The kids and I look forward to MDA camp all year long," Bilek said. "Some of the campers e-mail me months in advance asking if it's time to go back yet. Camp is important to them because it allows them be with all of their friends."

It costs MDA $525 per child to provide the campers with this unique experience. The camp is underwritten entirely by the generous support of local corporations and individuals. These and other donors will be recognized on Labor Day weekend (Sept. 1 and 2, 2002) during the Jerry Lewis MDA Telethon on WB20 Detroit. This year marks the 37th Telethon.

Founded in 1950, the Muscular Dystrophy Association is a voluntary health organization dedicated to finding a cure for more than 40 neuromuscular diseases. MDA funds research worldwide and currently funds projects in Ohio at the University of Cincinnati, Case Western Reserve University, Lerner Research Institute, MetroHealth Medical Center, Children's Hospital Medical Center and Ohio State University. MDA operates 230 hospital-affiliated clinics across the country, including one at the Toledo Hospital. Services include physical, occupational and respiratory therapy, genetic counseling and testing, social services consultations and year-round patient care.

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