Arrested For Service
Richard Garza, San Marcos Hispanic Chamber of Commerce president volunteers time to help raise funds at local Telethon Executive Lock-Up.
SAN MARCOS, TX (PRWEB) June 20, 2004
While the aromas of mouth-watering dishes drifted through the Los Mariachis Mexican Restaurant, the president of the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce in San Marcos, Richard Garza was frantically making phone calls instead of treating himself to a delicious Mexican snack. In partnership with the Muscular Dystrophy Association, Garza volunteers his time and service to help raise donations during the annual Telethon Executive Lock-Up in San Marcos.
Garza has the opportunity to impact the lives of area children by providing the funds to send them to the annual MDA Summer Camp held at Greene Family Camp located in Bruceville, Texas. In addition to summer camp, funds from the Lock-Up will be used to fund on-going research and clinic services in Central Texas.
“I am looking forward to working with MDA in the coming years and bringing to fruition the MDA initiative to enhance the outreach to the Spanish speaking population in Central Texas,” said Garza. “With the help of the Texas Association of Mexican American Chambers of Commerce(TAMACC), we are excited to help MDA fund area clinic services which are provided to those affected with muscular dystrophy at no cost to the client families.”
Area resident, Victor Gallo is one of those children who will benefit from the dedication of people like Richard Garza. At age 11, Victor uses a motorized wheelchair to move around and has been attending MDA Summer Camp for the past four years. Without the help of MDA, he would never have had the opportunity to spend the night away from home and his parents would never have received the much needed vacation that summer camp provides for them.
“Summer camp has been an unwavering guarantee for my son to hold to when everything around him seems to be falling apart,” said Victor’s mother, Carmen Gallo. “Each year he looks forward to the seven days he is able to spend away from home surrounded by people who not only care about him but also surrounded by other children who are just like him.”
Dedicated to his partnered mission with MDA, Garza has a desire to impact the lives of area Hispanic families affected by muscular dystrophy. Not only does he want to send children to camp but he wants to raise funds to help those children receive adequate healthcare through the no cost MDA clinics. Also, he
Hopes to raise awareness through his participation on the Annual Jerry Lewis Labor Day Telethon which is aired on Channel 36, KXAN-TV from September 5 – 6. During this event he will encourage all members of the San Marcos Hispanic Chamber of Commerce to support the MDA Telethon Star program.
The weeklong summer camp is only one program among many that MDA funds to benefit those who are affected by neuromuscular disease. MDA is a voluntary health agency working to defeat neuromuscular diseases through programs of world-wide research, far-reaching professional and public health education, and no cost direct local comprehensive patient services, such as those offered at the University of Texas Health Science Center: HealthSouth Rehabilitation Institute of San Antonio (RIOSA) and at the Round Rock Medical Center. The Association is funded almost entirely through private donations.
More information regarding MDA and disease specifics can be found on the Internet at www. mdausa. org.
If you have any questions regarding MDA, current fundraising events, or the Telethon, please contact Marilyn Mann, Austin Area Program Coordinator, at (512) 345-3800, or electronically at austindistrict@mdausa. org.
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