Apr 27, 2009
San Diego & Carlsbad SDCCU Walk MS Summary
The National Multiple Sclerosis Society’s San Diego-based Pacific South Coast Chapter reported that its two San Diego County Credit Union 2009 Walk MS fund-raising fun walks held in April drew more than 7,200 walkers who raised nearly $800,000 in donations for MS research and services and programs for people with MS, a chronic, unpredictable and disabling neurological disease of the central nervous system with no known cause, cure or prevention.
On Saturday, April 4, 3,982 walkers raised $388,646 at NTC Park at Liberty Station in Point Loma. On Sunday, April 26, 3,301 walkers raised $408,392 at the LEGOLAND® California theme park in Carlsbad. Walkers will be awarded prizes, including T-shirts, movie tickets and gift cards, based on the amount of donations they collect. The deadline is May 31 for applying donations to an individual’s or team’s total for prize consideration. Online donations can be made at www.mswalk.com by clicking “Sponsor Walker,” and typing in a walker’s name. For the eighth consecutive year, San Diego County Credit, the largest credit union based in San Diego, was the Walk MS title sponsor. Over the years, SDCCU’s contributions to the National MS Society in donations have exceeded $750,000. Presenting sponsors at 2009 Walk MS included NBC 7/39, Pepsi, Radio Sophie Radio, KyXy 96.5, Legoland California, Continental Airlines and Sycuan Resort & Casino.
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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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