Nov 17, 2008
Walk MS in Irvine on Saturday, April 25
The National Multiple Sclerosis Society’s Pacific South Coast Chapter, with an office in Costa Mesa, has announced its 22nd annual Walk MS 2009, a fundraising walk, will be held on Saturday, April 25, at the University of California, Irvine. Check-in begins at 7:30 a.m. About 3,500 people are expected to walk a two-mile route that will start and finish near the main library and Chancellor’s Rose Garden on the UCI campus. The National MS Society is expecting the event will generate about $700,000 in donations for MS research and services and programs for people with MS, a chronic, unpredictable and disabling disease of the central nervous system with no known cause, cure or prevention. In total, Walk MS is expected to generate $2.2 million, including two additional events held Saturday, April 4 at NTC Park Liberty Station in San Diego, and Sunday, April 26 at LEGOLAND® California in Carlsbad.
Registration is now open at www.MSwalk.com. Walkers are encouraged to solicit sponsors and raise funds; the average walker in 2008 raised $279 – however there is no charge to be a walker. Walkers can earn prizes, including T-shirts, movie tickets and gift cards, based on the amount of donations they collect. At last year’s Irvine Walk MS event, 3,109 people walked and raised $760,832 in donations.
Now in its 22nd year in Orange County, Walk MS is known for drawing a large number of teams representing businesses, neighborhoods, clubs, community groups, churches and family members and friends of a person with MS. Many teams come up with a team name and outfit their members with costumes, including T-shirts, hats or balloons. All it takes is four or more people to form a team.
Free snacks and beverages will be provided to walkers, plus live music and a festive finish line celebration. At previous Walk MS events, the menu has included pizza slices, chicken strips, salad, fruit, muffins, juice drinks, soft drinks, bottled water, coffee and popcorn. Sponsorship opportunities are still available.
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About Multiple Sclerosis
Multiple sclerosis interrupts the flow of information between the brain and 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 than twice as many women as men being diagnosed with the disease. MS affects more than 400,000 people in the U.S., and 2.5 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 home 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 over $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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For more information, contact:
Rick Griffin Public Relations
(619) 461-3104
rick@rickgriffin.com
Pacific South Coast Chapter
Beth Clark (760) 448-8424
beth.clark@mspacific.org