
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: THURSDAY, June 29, 1995                   TAG: 9506290049
SECTION: CURRENT                    PAGE: NRV-7   EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY 
SOURCE: ADRIANNE BEE STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: CHRISTIANSBURG                                 LENGTH: Medium

TELETHON FOR KIDS AFFECTED BY HIV, AIDS GETS LOCAL HELP

Tonight, television will use its power for good, to generate hundreds of thousands of phone calls from people who want to help ease the pain of children affected by HIV and AIDS.

Nearly 1,000 professional debt collectors across the nation, including 30 from the Credit Bureau Services of Christiansburg, have joined forces to help raise money for these children. They will work the telephones tonight during a national CBS Television network broadcast from 8-10. The documentary, "Before Your Eyes: Angelie's Secret," focuses on the Camp Heartland Project, a nonprofit organization that provides educational and retreat programs for children who suffer from or live with a parent or sibling suffering from HIV/AIDS.

Camp Heartland provides a weeklong camp - a haven to escape the stress the deadly virus often causes in the children's schools and communities. CBS will air a toll-free number for viewers to call if they wish to donate to this cause during the last segment of the documentary narrated by film celebrity Julia Roberts.

"It's such a worth while project," said Dana Sheppard, president of Christiansburg's Credit Bureau Services. "It's so heart-warming to help small kids who have to deal with something so big and out of their control."

Credit Bureau Services is part of the American Collectors Association, a telecommunications consulting firm that was approached by Camp Heartland for help in handling the large volume of phone calls that are expected. Through ACA member volunteer efforts, calls from every area code throughout the United States and parts of Canada will be received by volunteer call centers tonight.

"I just can't tell you how proud I am of all these kind and thoughtful employees," Sheppard said. "It shows that the American people really do have a big heart."

by CNB