Mar 18, 2009
MS reading program benefits everyone
Carla Koss
Spearheading the movement to end the devastating effects of multiple sclerosis by promoting reading, Readathon has evolved in Delaware into a year-round, statewide program that raised more than $54,000 last year for MS research and the programs and services needed by more than 1,500 Delawareans with MS and their families. Organized by the Delaware Chapter of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, Readathon continues to benefit everyone involved, including Delaware’s parents, teachers, and the children who take part in the MS reading program.
For parents with children in elementary and middle school, Readathon promotes two important family values: literacy and social responsibility. Children who have taken part in the MS reading program have grown up with a life-long love of reading as well as a committed resolve to make the world a better place for people with MS to live in. And for parents who homeschool their children, the chapter supplies the tools needed to chart each child’s progress, encourage creativity around a reading theme, and to make Readathon a part of the lesson plan, all that’s necessary to help a child succeed.
For Delaware’s teachers, Readathon not only supplies all the necessary tools to help a child succeed but also helps to set goals for reading in a classroom situation. Prizes awarded to top Readathon fundraisers provide incentive to keep reading.
And for the children who read for MS, Readathon provides all the academic and social benefits of one of the few nationally known programs that promote both reading and community involvement. The children who take part in the MS reading program are supported through every page they read and encouraged through every dollar they raise. Readathon is a win-win situation for Delaware’s children.
For more information about Readathon, call the chapter at (302) 655-5610. Or email the program’s coordinator, Jenna Wagner, at jenna.wagner@MSdelaware.org.
About multiple sclerosis
Every hour in the United States, someone is newly diagnosed with MS. Most are diagnosed between the ages of 20 and 50, but among the more than 1,500 Delawareans with MS is a boy who will be 10 in May. MS affects more than 400,000 people nationwide, 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.