BLOOMINGTON -- About 1,025 Central Illinois residents with neuromuscular diseases -- including 106 in McLean County -- have received services from the Muscular Dystrophy Association.

This weekend, their neighbors will be able to help them.

The 44th annual Muscular Dystrophy Association Telethon will be broadcast 8 p.m. Sunday to 5:30 p.m. Monday on WMBD Channel 31 from Peoria and WCIA Channel 3 from Champaign.

Hosted by entertainer Jerry Lewis, the telethon will originate from South Point Hotel Casino & Spa in Las Vegas, with Peoria segments from Par-A-Dice Hotel and Casino and Champaign-Urbana segments from Andrae's Harley-Davidson, said Amber Lannert, executive director of the MDA Prairie chapter, which covers 42 Central Illinois counties.

Last year's telethon raised $65 million. Lannert said this year's goals are $400,000 for the WMBD viewing area and $350,000 for the WCIA viewing area.

According to MDA, 78.3 percent of money raised goes to research, services and education, with the rest spent on fundraising and administration. Lannert said money raised in Central Illinois stays here for services that include a support group in Bloomington-Normal, clinics in Peoria and Urbana, camps at Timber Pointe Outdoor Center at Lake Bloomington, flu shots and equipment such as wheelchairs, leg braces and speech communication devices.

Bloomington and Normal firefighters will collect money for MDA in their annual Fill the Boot effort during the Labor Day parade, said Shane Stork, vice president of Bloomington Firefighters Local 49, and Matt Bursack, secretary of Normal Firefighters Local 2442. The parade steps off at 10 a.m. Monday in downtown Bloomington and proceeds to Miller Park.

Meanwhile, MDA and Walgreen announced this week that MDA will again offer flu shots to people with muscular dystrophy and related diseases at more than 7,000 Walgreen's nationwide. Shots are being offered beginning 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday, with more information at www.walgreens.com/flu and at (800) 925-4733.