da: 9_25_09 2009 2009 OLD NEWSBOYS' DAY FOR VARIETY - THE CHILDREN'S CHARITY

Montgomery County, PA

P.O. Box 311, Norristown, PA 19404-0311
Courthouse Hours: 8:30a.m. to 4:15p.m.
Phone: 610-278-3000
Website: www.montcopa.org

NEWS

Montgomery County SealMONTGOMERY COUNTY OFFICE OF THE DISTRICT ATTORNEY
COURT HOUSE, NORRISTOWN, PA., BOX 311, 19404-0311
PHONE (610) 278-3090 FAX (610) 278-3095

DISTRICT ATTORNEY: RISA VETRI FERMAN

FIRST ASSISTANT DISTRICT ATTORNEY: KEVIN R. STEELE 

CHIEF COUNTY DETECTIVE: OSCAR P. VANCE, JR

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
SEPTEMBER 25, 2009
 
 
 
2009 Old Newsboys' Day for Variety - The Children's Charity
 
   
The Montgomery County Office of the District Attorney --  together with Variety--The Children’s Charity, took to the streets surrounding the Montgomery County Courthouse today, during Variety’s 52nd year of Old Newsboys' Day. Volunteers raised over $2,000.00 in two hours.
 
A kickoff rally featuring Matt O’Donnell of 6 ABC News started the day’s events. Students from the Montgomery County Community College joined other volunteers at the courthouse to present a check for $547.82.  Local elected officials, families of Variety kids, employees of other local non-profit organizations, courthouse employees, and other volunteers set up at locations around the Montgomery County Courthouse from 11:00 AM until 1:00 PM to sell the “Happiness Edition” of the Philadelphia Inquirer to benefit Variety.  Radio stations WOGL 98.1 and WMMR 93.3 provided music and prizes throughout the day. Mama Venezia’s Pizzeria (674 E. Marshall Street, Norristown) donated pizzas for the volunteers; Waitresses at the Courthouse Diner (36 E. Main Street, Norristown) sported Variety aprons and sold newspapers inside the restaurant.
 
Photographs of the event can be found on the website of the District Attorney at www.montcopa.org/da.
 
The “Happiness Edition”, which costs just $1.00, is a compilation of stories about good people doing great things for children with disabilities and includes valuable coupons from Variety sponsors.  All proceeds from the sale of the paper benefit Variety.  Old Newsboys’ Day is still the largest single-day fundraiser for children with disabilities, regularly raising hundreds of thousands of dollars in just a few hours.
 
Montgomery County is home to what Variety refers to as the “heartbeat” of the charity. The nationally acclaimed Variety Club Camp and Developmental Center is located on an 80-acre site in Worcester and hosts children with physical and developmental disabilities throughout the year. Since 1949, the camp has offered both summer and winter programs, making it one of the few year-round recreational facilities for children with disabilities in the Delaware Valley.  Also, in 2006 the Family Resource Center for Autism was opened in response to the growing number of families affected by autism.
 

     Approved for release:
 
     Risa Vetri Ferman