FARMINGTON – Children from Franklin Child Care put their energy into a “hop-a-thon” Saturday to raise funds for the Muscular Dystrophy Association.

With eight children ages two to six hopping 2,272 times, pledges raised $662, which surpassed their $500 goal, said Donna Driscoll, Franklin Child Care director, on Tuesday.

The money will stay in Maine, given to the local chapter of the MDA. More than 600 families in Maine are affected by neuromuscular disease, she added.

Some money will provide health care at MD clinics in Bangor and Portland, some funds will be used to help children attend Pine Tree Camp, she said.

Located on North Pond in Rome, the camp provides summer experiences for Maine children and adults with disabilities. The camp setting is designed so that campers can enjoy activities that aren’t normally available to them such as swimming, fishing, boating, outdoor games, kayaking, arts and crafts and camping in a tent, she said.

Driscoll, whose 17-year-old son has MS, read a story in a MDA newsletter about others that do the hop-a-thons and was impressed that the funds would stay local and help children go to camp, she said.

“No kid is turned away,” she added.

The children at Franklin Child Care, a Franklin Community Health Network day care for employees and the community, were given lessons about disability awareness before the hop-a-thon. The children know Driscoll’s son and ask questions about why he walks the way he does and if he can run, she said. She wove her son’s experiences into a week of disability awareness activities prior to the hop-a-thon that covered topics ranging from wearing glasses to cerebral palsy, she added. Along with stories and activities the children were given time on crutches and in wheelchairs.

The children were given certificates, stickers and a book for their participation.

Along with raising funds for the camp, the children now have an opportunity to appear on the local segment of the Jerry Lewis Telethon over Labor Day weekend. They needed to raise $500 to be included, she said. When the time gets closer, she plans to recruit those students who would like to attend.