Standard Democrat

SIKESTON, Mo. --A little over 2 1/2 years ago Della Hubbard asked residents to drop off empty aluminum cans to raise money for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Memphis.

To date, residents have tossed thousands of dollars' worth of cans into the trailer set up for the St. Jude project at Inside Lane, Highway 61 N.

Now she hopes Sikeston and the surrounding area will join her in collecting $10,000 in cans, which will mean recognition for the community. St. Jude honors groups and individuals who have made large donations by placing plaques featuring the individual or group name on special walls in the hospital. The larger the donation, the larger the plaque.

A few months ago she opened an account for Sikeston at St. Jude which will enable the hospital to keep track of the amount Sikeston has sent in. Currently the Friends and Neighbors of Sikeston account holds $3,567.44.

"That wall is full of plaques, and I just feel it would be nice for Sikeston to have some recognition for what it's doing for St. Jude," she said. "What is nice is they don't say in memory of or anything on the plaque so it doesn't remind parents of their loss. They phrase it differently, giving the contributor recognition."

Since St. Jude opened in 1962, it has treated 19,000 children from across the United States and 60 countries.

Anyone interested in making a donation to the Friends and Neighbors of Sikeston may do so by sending it to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Friends and Neighbors of Sikeston Account 7045494, 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, Tenn. 38105.