Joe Nichols belting out a song on center stage…telephones ringing as people call in their donations…fingers clicking over a keyboard as bids on telethon auction items are being recorded. Those are the sights and sounds that will make the Abilene Civic Center a special place on January 15. Theyíre also the sights and sounds that will produce hope and help in 2005 for thousands of physically disabled children and adults.
The occasion is West Texas Rehab Centerís annual telethon, a fund-raising event that combines fast-paced entertainment with an auction of approximately 300 retail items and several dozen handcrafted quilts and afghans. The show will be aired on 10 television stations covering Texas and portions of New Mexico and Oklahoma. Nichols, who is making his second appearance as the headliner for a Rehab telethon, has had a string of recording hitsóincluding The Impossible, Brokenheartsville, and What’s A Guy Gotta Do, the new single from his latest album, Revelation.
New to this yearís five-hour telecast will be fast-rising female vocalist 20-year-old Kristy Lee of Dallas, who is equally comfortable with country music and pop ballads.
Charlie Chase, who established himself as one of the premiere talk show hosts on Crook and Chase, is returning for the fifth year as a host for Rehab 2005. Joining him in hosting segments and entertaining will be Peter Marshall and cowboy singer and poet Red Steagall. ìRehab Regularsî Bill and Susan Hayes, Anacani, Brad Maule and the Rehab Orchestra will round-out the entertainers sharing their talent to help raise money to ensure that Rehabís doors will be open to all who come in 2005 seeking help in overcoming the disabling effects of illnesses and injuriesóregardless of their financial status.
The telethon auction, which annually raises about $250,000 for Rehab, has great merchandise ranging from vehicles to agriculture items and weekend-getaways, to sporting goods and furnitureó17 categories in all…plus quilts and afghans.
Though the 35th annual telethon benefiting West Texas Rehabilitation Center wonít be aired until January 15, the telethon auction website is now open for bids on more than 250 retail items and dozens of handcrafted quilts and afghans.
If youíre looking for something with four wheels, take your choice of a 2005 Chevrolet Silverado with extended cab, a 2005 Ford Mustang, or a 2005 Polaris Ranger with bench seat. Or how about a Tige boat, a Texas Motor Speedway experience, or a six-person spa? With 17 categories of retail merchandise plus all the quilts and afghans, the Rehab telethon auction has something for everyone…thanks to generous donations from retail businesses in the Big Country and Concho Valley. Auction bidding will continue on-line until midnight on January 15. Thatís also the deadline for telephone bidding, which is possible from 6 p.m. to midnight on January 15 by dialing toll free 1-866-219-7013. You can place your bids online, in-person or over-the-phone!
The West Texas Rehabilitation Center is a private, non-profit 501(c)(3) corporation founded in 1953 as a treatment center for children with cerebral palsy. We started with one location and one physical therapist treating seventeen patients. Now, however, responding to the needs of our communities has resulted in the growth of our organization to include three locations and more than two hundred employees. Proudly, our staff works together as an integrated team to provide a wide array of outpatient physical, communication, and hearing services to the thousands of children and adults across West Texas who are challenged by disabilities and/or disorders.
Though it is certainly possible to find programs in West Texas, which provide some of the services we offer, no other providers offer the full complement of outpatient rehabilitation treatment services available at West Texas Rehabilitation Center. Additionally, some programs which are similar to ours do not have the state or national certifications awarded to us for our program excellence. Finally, our philosophy of providing quality care regardless of the patient’s financial status distinguishes us from other providers of outpatient rehabilitation care.
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