Jun 22, 2009
3 days. 50 miles. Closer to a Cure.
The National Multiple Sclerosis Society has announced that registration is now open for Southern California Challenge Walk MS 2009, a three-day, 50-mile fundraising walk from Carlsbad to Downtown San Diego, September 11 to 13. The all-inclusive event is a personal journey of spirit and stamina, filled with friendship, unforgettable moments and most of all, hope. Registration information is available at www.myMSchallenge.com.
What: Challenge Walk MS, a three-day, 50-mile fundraising walk
When/Where: September 11-13, 2009, from Carlsbad to downtown San Diego
How: Register at www.myMSchallenge.com
An estimated 300 people are expected to participate and help raise $1.2 million for MS research and programs and services for Southern Californians living with MS, a chronic, unpredictable and disabling disease of the central nervous system with no known cause, cure or prevention. The minimum donation required to walk in the Challenge Walk is $2,500 per person. Walkers will include supporters of Society’s Pacific South Coast and Southern California Chapters, as well as people with MS and friends and family members.
Challenge Walk MS 2009 will begin with opening ceremonies on Friday, Sept. 11, at a park in Carlsbad. The 20-mile walk on Day 1 along the scenic San Diego coastline will include fully-stocked rest stops approximately every one-and-a-half to three miles featuring entertainment and encouragement from volunteers. Day 1 concludes at the Marriott Del Mar hotel where walkers will enjoy dinner and entertainment, including speaker Joyce Nelson, President & CEO of the National MS Society, who will also be walking in the 50-mile event. "It’s been four years since my last multi-day walk here in California, and I look forward to meeting new and returning walkers who are living with MS every day," Joyce said. "I'd also love to learn more about how participants think the National MS Society can respond better to the challenges of living with MS." Read more at Joyce's online blog.
The 20-mile walk on Day 2 will commence at the hotel and finish at Ventura Cove in Mission Bay, where buses will shuttle walkers back to the hotel for dinner and another evening of entertainment featuring actress and comedienne, Teri Garr. After getting positive feedback about going public with her MS in 2002, Teri published her autobiography, Speedbumps: Flooring It Through Hollywood, in 2005. Teri said she finds it more helpful to talk about “a movement by and for people with MS” rather than a “war” against the disease. “As we all know, knowledge is power. Get involved on a local level. Become a volunteer, be an advocate, join one of the many Walk MS or Bike MS events in your area. Bring your friends and family with you. It’s a good way to connect with people and you’ll feel better about not only helping yourself, but helping others.” Read more about Teri online.
The 10-mile walk on Day 3 will begin with shuttle service to Ventura Cove and the walkers are scheduled to cross the finish line around noon on Sunday at Pantoja Park, located on West "G" St. in Downtown San Diego. Live music and lunch will make for a robust finish line celebration attended by friends and family of the walkers.
This is the eighth annual Southern California Challenge Walk MS. Since the event's inception in 2002, the three-day, 50-mile Challenge Walk held in San Diego County has raised $7,508,246, which is among the highest dollar amounts of any of the ten Challenge Walk events organized by 50-state network of Society chapters in the U.S. At the Challenge in 2008, 290 people helped raise $1,124,547. Participation has grown from 179 walkers who raised $496,000 at the inaugural Challenge Walk held in 2002.
Presenting sponsors of Challenge Walk MS include Continental Airlines and Bayer Healthcare. For more information about Challenge Walk MS 2009, to register as a walker or volunteer, or to make a donation, visit www.myMSchallenge.com.
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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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