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Show PLA35S FR0QRESSI31S I FO TKE PRESIDENTS ! BIRTHDAY PARTY I NEW YORK With national unity un-ity as its keynote, the 1941 "Fight Infantile Paralysis" campaign completes com-pletes its first week with a record smashing attack on the crippling disease, Keith Morgan, National chairman of the Committee for the celebration of the President's Birthday declared today. From coast to coast a new volunteer vol-unteer army is fighting side by side with pioneer campaigners in three major divisions, "The March of Dimes," the "Mile O Dunes," and "Home Party" cele-"brations. cele-"brations. Thousands of coin containers and coin cards are being filled with dimes, quarters and halves as the great silver parade begins its trans-eontinentai march. For the first time, the great multiple-unit retail stores of the country joined the campaign in a hody. These are united under th? National Retail Committee headed by General R. E. Wood, chairman of the Board of Sear, Roebuck, and company. Already this group has distributed 300,000 coin collectors col-lectors in stores throughout America. Amer-ica. The successful example of the nation's capital has inspired other cities to adopt the "Mile O Dimes" plan as a new feature of the drive. This is sopnsored by newspapers and radio stations and already has provided some of the liveliest activities ac-tivities of the campaign. The objective in each community is to raise enough dimes which, laid end-to-end, would stretch a mile. A brilliantly lighted and dec--orated booth is placed in front of a radio sation or newspaper office. This is kept open day and night and passers-by have an opportunity op-portunity to lay their dimes on the line. The booth is a constant center cen-ter of festivity or entertainment. Announcers held contests to determine de-termine which can attract the .most contributions. Visitors may Toe interviewed or invited to go -on the air. They may ask that a favorite record be played. Meanwhile, Mean-while, local bands, fraternal and -civic societies contribute theri tal- - nt and their dimes. Many new features have been added to the 1941 "March of .Dimes." The celebrities of Broadway Broad-way and Hollywood have pledged their "all-out" support; leaders in the music and literary worlds have -whole-heartedly endorsed the slogan, slo-gan, "Help the Youngster Around Your Own Corner." As in previous years, one of the most spirited features of the campaign is the -"March of Dimes of the Air," un- . ler the direction of Eddie Cantor. Many foremost personalities in the Continued on page five HERE'S MORE ABOUT Presidents Birthday Tarty (Continued from Page One) entertainment field have wired Mr. Morgan their assurances of help Among these are Bing Crosby, Ezra Stone, Fred Allen, Amos 'n' Andy, Clifton Fadiman, Edward G. Robinson, Kay Kyser, Rudy Vallee, and Dick Powell. Meanwhile, more dimes and dollars dol-lars are rolling in from the "Home Party" benefits. The first of these informal affairs was given by Mrs. UrnnMin Tl RVlSPVPlt. fit. the White House on January 14 hi honor of women campaign workers. Before the campaign closes on January 30, President Roosevelt's 59th birthday, thousands of these parties will have been given in cities, towns and villages throughout America. In summarizing the activities of the campaign's first week, Mr. Morgan declared: "Never in the long war against infantile paralysis has such wholehearted whole-hearted enthusiasm and unselfish devotion been shown by American Amer-ican in every field of endeavor and in eery section of the country. The response to our appeal, "Help the Youngster Around Your Own Corner,"' is a clear demonstration of what a free and mightly people may accomplish when united for a cause they believe in. "At this time, I can think of nothing that expresses our feelings feel-ings more clearly than the President's Presi-dent's words: "Nothing is closer to my heart than the health of our boys and girls, and youv's men and young women. To me it is one of the front lines of our national de-. de-. fense." 1 , A final spur to the campaign came during the week when the . United States Public Health ser-r ser-r vice released the total figures of : the devastating 1940 epidemic of - infantile paralysis. Government , statistics revealed that 9,768 boys .. and girls, men and women were s stricken during the year. This i was 2.480 cases more than in 1939, e when 7,288 persons were struck r down by the disease. |