Jerry Lewis and his crew raised nearly $64 million for the Muscular Dystrophy Association at this year's Labor Day Telethon, and Ronald Galloway, a resident at Golden Years Health Care Center in Portsmouth, raised $71.63 of that.

“Did you ever see a chair do this?” Galloway said as he worked his mechanical chair up and down. “Jerry paid for that. So, I just wanted to help him. I had fun raising the money.”

Galloway, now 41, who was diagnosed with cerebral palsy when he was 3 years old, has been at Golden Years since November 2006, and is hoping for a couple of things in his future.

“I'm on the waiting list to get back up to Star Workshop, and I'm hoping to get called to start back working there,” he said. “I make crafts and all that.”

Galloway said he builds houses out of cedar strips and ice cream sticks.

The other thing he said he is hoping for is to form a Christian band.

“I can't sing, but I'd like to manage it,” Galloway said.

He said he set up two booths to help raise the money on Labor Day. One at Golden Years and the other at Apostolic Gospel Church across the street.

Galloway, originally from Adams County, attended Happy Hearts School, now known as Vern Riffe School.

“I had two months before I would have graduated, but I didn't stick with it,” he said.

Galloway said the most exciting part of his participation in raising money for MDA came when he watched the tote board at Apostolic Gospel Church.

“Brother Coffey's (Pastor Robert Coffey) brother had the puppet show at the church, and I had my booth set up there, and when I saw the total pass 70 dollars, I was really happy,” Galloway said.

So will he do it again next year?

“I will do it again next year, and next year it's going to be different. I have some new ideas,” Galloway said.

FRANK LEWIS can be reached at (740) 353-3101, ext. 232.