Mar 16, 2009
Volunteers needed for MS events
Carla Koss
The Delaware Chapter of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society needs volunteers to help put on six fundraising events scheduled for this spring:
• Walk MS: Wilmington Riverfront—Saturday, April 18
• Walk MS: Historic Dover—Saturday, April 18
• Walk MS: Twilight at Heritage Shores—Friday, April 24
• Walk MS: University of Delaware, Newark—Sunday, May 3
• Bike MS: Crankin’ for a Cure—Sunday, May 17
• Walk MS: Twilight at Baywood Greens—Friday, May 29
Taking place throughout all three counties in the First State, at least 560 volunteers are needed to cover all of these sights in a range of operations, including registering event participants, supporting the participants at the rest stops, distributing T-shirts, loading and unloading supplies, setting up refreshments, and cheerleading at the finish line.
“By volunteering to help with some of these operations,” says the director of chapter development, Holly Maddams, “folks contribute their time and energy to help more than 1,500 Delawareans with MS and their families—because the money we would spend on hired help goes instead to the chapter’s programs and services as well as to MS research.”
“Most volunteer positions,” adds the chapter’s development associate, Jenna Wagner, “require only four hours of your time on a weekend morning. Because it’s a weekend, we like to encourage groups to volunteer as well as individuals. Each event has a wonderful, fun family atmosphere.”
For more information, contact Jenna Wagner at (302) 655-5610. Or email her at jenna.wagner@MSdelaware.org.
About multiple sclerosis
Every hour in the United States, someone is newly diagnosed with MS. MS affects more than 400,000 Americans. Most are diagnosed between the ages of 20 and 50—during life’s most productive years—and more than twice as many women are diagnosed as men.
Multiple sclerosis is an unpredictable, often disabling disease of the central nervous system that interrupts the flow of information from the brain to the body. Symptoms range from tingling and numbness in the limbs to blindness and paralysis. In other words, MS stops people from moving.
Although the progress, severity, and specific symptoms of MS cannot be predicted, advances in research and treatment are moving us closer to a world free of MS. Studies show that early and ongoing treatment with an FDA-approved therapy can reduce future disease activity and improve the quality of life for many people with MS.
About the National Multiple Sclerosis Society
The National Multiple Sclerosis Society is a collective of passionate individuals who are
• moving together to create a world free of MS.
• moving research forward by relentlessly pursuing prevention, treatment, and a cure.
• moving to reach out and respond to individuals, families, and communities living with MS.
• moving politicians and legislation to champion the needs of people with MS through activism, advocacy, and influence.
• moving to raise $1.25 billion by 2010 to help create a world free of MS.
• moving to mobilize the millions of people who want to do something about MS now.
To this end, the National MS Society funds more MS research, provides more services to people with MS, offers more professional education, and furthers more advocacy efforts than any other MS organization in the world. Through a 50-state network of chapters—including the Delaware Chapter—the Society addresses the challenges of living with the disease.
To learn more, call (302) 655-5610, or visit www.MSdelaware.org.