Bolts again there to help

While most folks enjoyed the beautiful Labor Day holiday at the beach or at family barbeques, for the sixth-consecutive year many Chargers spent their afternoon encouraging the community of San Diego to call and make monetary contributions to benefit the Muscular Dystrophy Association.

The Jerry Lewis MDA Telethon has been a television tradition for families every Labor Day since 1966. The purpose of the telethon is to inform and raise funds for the service and research programs of the Muscular Dystrophy Association. The MDA relies heavily on individual private donations to support the more than 250,000 Americans suffering from some form of muscular dystrophy.

Chargers players Malcom Floyd, Clinton Hart and Kassim Osgood helped wrap up the annual telethon with the support of Charger Girls Vanesa, Jennifer, Breann and Kylette and members of the Charger Backers, the team’s official fan club.

With the phones consistently ringing, Osgood used his charisma and emcee skills to take charge of the microphone and challenge callers. Calling it the “two-minute warning” system, Kassim offered the two highest credit card donations a Limited Edition 2007 AFC West Division Champions Football with players signatures lasered on the surface.

By the end of the day, with the encouragement of the Chargers and the true stories of individuals diagnosed with muscular dystrophy, the telethon’s donations for San Diego totaled more than $690,000.

One of the benefits of the funds raised will be to send affected children to the MDA’s 2009 summer camp, which costs $800 per child. The camp services more than 5,000 young people across the country and in Puerto Rico with more than 5,200 volunteers giving a week of their time to serve as MDA camp counselors.

The Chargers would like to thank all the volunteers and fans who called in to support the MDA Telethon. Working together, we can help find a cure for these devastating neuromuscular diseases. To learn more, log onto: www.mdausa.org

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