Mar 02, 2009
Norv Turner named Honorary Chair of May 4 MS Golf Classic
The National Multiple Sclerosis Society’s San Diego-based Pacific South Coast Chapter will host its 15th annual Golf Classic, a fund-raising tournament, starting at 11 a.m. on Monday, May 4, at La Jolla Country Club, 7301 High Ave., La Jolla.
Norv Turner, head coach of the San Diego Chargers, has been named honorary chair and is planning to play in the tournament. Turner, whose mother lived with a severe form of multiple sclerosis (MS), an often disabling disease of the central nervous system, recently joined the chapter’s Board of Trustees which oversees and guides chapter operations, according to Chapter President, Rich Israel. “We are thrilled that Coach Turner has joined the movement to create a world free of MS,” Israel said. “We know that MS is a very personal concern for him because of his family.”
Turner’s late mother, Vicky, spent the last years of her life in a wheelchair before passing away in 1989. As a single parent, she raised five children with the help of public assistance and despite the physical limitations resulting from MS. Norv Turner was the middle child. His oldest sister Janis, who lives near Sacramento, also has MS, the most common neurological disease leading to disability in young adults.
“There have been so many advances since my mom and sister were diagnosed,” said Turner. “Thanks to people giving money and time and effort, things are easier on people who have MS. We don’t have a cure yet, but my mom always had hope that, someday, there would be a cure that could help her and others.”
A handful of player spots are still available on a first-come, first-serve basis. Entry donation to play is $750 per person, or $3,000 for a foursome, which includes green fees, cart, tee prizes, gift bag, raffle prizes, lunch, snacks, beverages, a hosted reception, player awards and after-golf awards dinner. Additional tournament activities include a putting contest, hole-in-one prizes, a live auction and opportunity drawing. Four-player teams will consist of flights for men, ladies and mixed.
Sponsorship opportunities are available and donations of merchandise and professional services for the auction are welcomed. Special auction items are expected to include rounds of golf at local private championship courses, vacation getaways, golf equipment, sports memorabilia, dinners, entertainment and much more.
The annual philanthropic tournament raises thousands of dollars to fund research at local institutions and for chapter programs and services for people with multiple sclerosis. Nearly $4 million is spent on MS research in our area annually.
For more information about registration, sponsorship and donation opportunities, visit golfMS.org or contact the National Multiple Sclerosis Society’s Lisa.Keeley@mspacific.org at (760) 448-8417.
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About Multiple Sclerosis
Multiple sclerosis interrupts the flow of information within the brain and between the body and stops people from moving. Every hour in the United States, someone is newly diagnosed with MS, an unpredictable, often disabling disease of the central nervous system. 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 moving us closer to a world free of MS. Most people with MS are diagnosed between the ages of 20 and 50, with more at least two to three times more women than men being diagnosed with the disease. MS affects more than 400,000 people in the U.S., and 2.1 million worldwide.
About the National Multiple Sclerosis Society
MS stops people from moving. The National MS Society exists to make sure it doesn’t. We help each person address the challenges of living with MS. Last year alone, through our national office and 50-state network of chapters, we devoted over $136 million to programs that enhanced more than one million lives. Locally, the Pacific South Coast Chapter provides programs and services designed to help the 18,000 people and families affected by MS in San Diego, Orange and Imperial counties move their lives forward. To move us closer to a world free of MS, the Society also invested approximately $50 million to support 440 research projects around the world. Nearly $4 million is spent on MS research in our area annually. We are people who want to do something about MS NOW. Join the movement at www.nationalmssociety.org.
Early and ongoing treatment with an FDA-approved therapy can make a difference for people with multiple sclerosis. Learn about your options by talking to your health care professional and contacting the National MS Society at www.nationalMSsociety.org or 1-800- 344-4867 (1-800-FIGHT-MS).
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