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GE Capital Real Estate Signs On For Golf MS

August 12, 2011

Newest Board Member Taking Efforts To Next Level

NORTH STONINGTON, Conn. – In April, New Canaan resident Alec Burger was named to the National MS Society, Connecticut Chapter, board of trustees. Burger, president of GE Capital Real Estate’s North America division, has now gone on to sign the company on as presenting sponsor of the Seventh Annual Golf MS Classic, to be held Monday, Sept. 26, at Lake of Isles in North Stonington.

“It was a combination of wanting to find events that will make a great impact, and also offer great interaction among its participants,” said Burger, who will also participate in the event for the first time. “The Connecticut Chapter is an organization I believe in tremendously and I am honored to be involved.”

The 2011 Golf MS Classic will be held on Lake of Isles exclusive private south course, spread over 900 acres of Connecticut countryside adjacent to Foxwoods Resort and Casino. The day includes breakfast, 18 holes of golf with a cart, green fees, prizes, a silent drawing, an auction and closes with a fabulous dinner and awards ceremony, all while supporting the fight against MS.                                                           

Alec Burger
New Canaan resident Alec Burger joined the Connecticut Chapter Board of Trustees in April and will now take his involvement to the next level; signing GE Capital Real Estate on as presenting sponsor for the sevent annual Golf MS, to be held Sept. 26 at Lake of Isles in North Stonington.

Burger has been with GE Capital Real Estate for the past 20 years. He currently heads up the company’s North America division for commercial real estate business and is an officer with the company. Burger’s involvement with the National MS Society is in honor of his father, who lived with multiple sclerosis for roughly 35 years before passing away.

In 2010, he stepped out for the first time at the annual Walk MS in Westport and immediately became the event’s top individual fundraiser, raising about $40,000. He was the top fundraiser again this year, bringing in more than $37,000. Burger also chose the National MS Society to donate proceeds from GE Capital Real Estate’s second annual Run/Walk challenge, at which his Norwalk office raised more than $600. Burger was also one of three featured speakers at the chapter’s Annual Meeting and Awards Ceremony, held on March 13 in Rocky Hill. He spoke about his first foray into fundraising in 2010 and offered advice on how to maximize donations from friends, family and co-workers.

“Mr. Burger is a truly effective leader within the community,” said Lisa Gerrol, National MS Society, Connecticut Chapter, president. “He is also very committed to helping those living with multiple sclerosis. Drawing from his own personal experience, he has a deep understanding of the challenges facing families living with MS and the need to move research and local programs forward to help make a difference. We are pleased to have Mr. Burger and his two decades of business expertise as a member of our Board of Trustees, and now also sign on as presenting sponsor for our golf event.”

Burger shared why he feels it’s important to be so involved.

“Having lived with a parent who has MS for so long, I know how tough a disease it is to live with, and I’ve always wanted to make a difference,” said Burger. “The National MS Society, Connecticut Chapter is a fantastic platform for me to raise awareness in my own small way.”

On his chances of winning, Burger said with a laugh, “I actually recently learned that my father was a very good golfer. Unfortunately that’s not something that was passed down to me, so let’s just say I made sure to surround myself with some very good players, so there’s still a chance.”

More than 6,000 Connecticut residents live with multiple sclerosis, a potentially debilitating disease for which there is no cure. Funds raised by the chapter through events, such as Golf MS, fund scientific research and provide for the continuation of vital programs and services offered by the National MS Society, Connecticut Chapter, to people in Connecticut diagnosed with MS.

To learn more about MS, its effects and the many ways the National MS Society, Connecticut Chapter assists those living with MS, please visit www.ctfightsMS.org.

To learn more about the Golf MS Classic, register a foursome or learn about sponsorship opportunities, please e-mail Heather Campbell at heather.campbell@nmss.org or call 860.913.2550, ext. 52546. 

About the Connecticut-Rhode Island Chapter of the National Multiple Sclerosis (MS) Society

The Connecticut Chapter strives to provide knowledge and assistance to help people with MS and their families maintain the highest possible quality of life. These goals are achieved through vital national and local programs.

About Multiple Sclerosis

Multiple sclerosis is an unpredictable, often disabling disease of the central nervous system that disrupts the flow of information within the brain, and between the brain and body. Symptoms range from numbness and tingling to blindness and paralysis. The progress, severity and specific symptoms of MS in any one person cannot yet be predicted, but advances in research and treatment are leading to better understanding and moving us closer to a world free of MS. Most people with MS are diagnosed between the ages of 20 and 50, with at least two to three times more women than men being diagnosed with the disease. MS affects more than 2.3 million people worldwide.

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