Mar 30, 2009
New MS programs need volunteers
Carla Koss
Two new programs being organized by the Delaware Chapter of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society—Helping Hands and Friendly Visitor—offer more of the services needed by more than 1,500 Delawareans with MS, but to be successful, the programs need the committed effort of people who are ready, willing, and able to volunteer.
The one-day-only Helping Hands program takes place on May 2. Volunteers are needed to do a range of chores, from small household repairs to heavy cleaning and yard work.
“We have a great deal of need,” says Marie Eldreth, the chapter’s program coordinator. “Many of our clients cannot clean their own closets or run their own errands because of their MS. So, the chapter created a program that places a volunteer in a client’s home for the day. We’re looking for volunteers who can commit some of their time and energy to folks who will really appreciate the help.”
For people who would like to volunteer but are unable to do physical work, the chapter also needs volunteers just to visit. Visitor-volunteers are needed not only for the one-day Helping Hands program but also for a longer-term commitment known as the Friendly Visitor program. Each volunteer will undergo a background check and sign a confidentiality agreement, but volunteers in the Friendly Visitor program will complete an in-depth training program before going into the community.
“As a participant in the Friendly Visitor program,” continues Eldreth, “each volunteer will be trained to be a companion to someone with MS who is socially isolated. Whether in the home or a long-term-care facility, every individual living with MS still needs a connection with the community, and we’re hoping the Friendly Visitor meets that need.”
For more information about volunteering for Helping Hands or Friendly Visitor, call (302) 655-5610, and ask for Marie. Helping Hands volunteers need to call by April 13.
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—during life’s most productive years—and more than twice as many women are diagnosed as men. MS affects more than 400,000 Americans; in the First State, more than 1,500 people have been diagnosed.
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 multiple sclerosis.
• 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.