From a lemonade stand to television, all inone summer.

    That’s the answer Katelyn Patterson, 9, can give to the “What didyou do this summer?” questions that inevitably begin new schoolyear conversations.

    Katelyn has traveled the state selling lemonade to raise money forthe Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA). Her efforts have earnedthe New Hebron resident a spot on the annual MDA Labor DayTelethon, which will air Sept. 4.

    Sunday’s broadcast will be the 46th annual MDA telethon. Thetelethon raises money and awareness for the MDA.

    The national broadcast will run from 6 p.m. to midnight. Every hourof programming will feature two segments devoted to localprogramming.

    Katelyn and Hope McDaniel will leave New Hebron Sunday morning totravel to Birmingham. McDaniel is Katelyn’s great aunt and with herhusband Grover Katelyn’s legal guardian.

    At Birmingham, Katelyn will be interviewed live for a local segmentthat will air beginning 9 p.m.

    Mississippi’s MDA office contacted Birmingham to arrange forKatelyn’s segment as there were no Mississippi participants,McDaniel said. Since the segment is being handled in Alabama, itwas not clear if it will be able to be seen locally.

    At the telethon, Katelyn will present a check for more than $10,000to the MDA.

    “Every penny will go to the MDA,” said McDaniel. “That money wasraised in just four months.”

    The money will remain in the state of Mississippi. Among otherthings, it will be used at the state’s MDA summer camp.

    Early in the year, Katelyn made a direct contribution of $750directly to the summer camp.

    What began in April as a lemonade stand at a T-ball game soondeveloped into a statewide fundraising effort managed throughFacebook. Katelyn and McDaniel have scheduled visits and soldlemonade from Vicksburg to Hattiesburg.

    Now that school has started, Katelyn cannot travel the state as shedid during the summer, so Katelyn and McDaniel have devoted theirenergy to selling “Katelyn’s Lemonade” T-shirts rather than gallonsof beverages.

    Orders for the $15 shirts are taken through the Katelyn’s LemonadeFacebook page.

    The shirts have taken Katelyn’s fundraising efforts nationwide.McDaniel said she has mailed T-shirts as far as California andConnecticut.

    The success her fundraising efforts have found has opened up moreopportunities for Katelyn than just the telethon appearance.

    Tuesday evening, she threw out the first pitch at a MississippiBraves game. McDaniel said that while Katelyn does not appearnervous about her television appearance, she was nervous about thegame.

    After it was over, Katelyn’s feelings were different.

    “She said, ‘we have to go back,'” McDaniel said.

    Once the telethon wraps up, Katelyn has more events to anticipate.The band Avenging Amy will host a benefit concert for Katleyn’sLemonade Oct. 8 in Wesson.

    McDaniel said that in April she never could have anticipated allthat has happened and doesn’t know what could happen next.

    “I tell everyone, when you have a little lemonade stand to raisemoney for camp you never imagine this in your wildest imagination,”McDaniel said. “It just went so fast.”