Sep 15, 2009
We need your help!
Carla Koss
Now a Wilmington tradition, the PNC Bank Thanksgiving Day Run/Walk for MS has been an annual holiday kick-off since 1979. This year, event organizers at the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, Delaware Chapter, hope to raise more than $85,000 for MS research and the programs and services needed by more than 1,500 Delawareans with MS. It’s a massive endeavor, especially given the state of the economy, but thanks to the time and energy donated by volunteers, more of the funds raised for MS goes to MS.
“We are expecting as many as 2,000 runners and walkers,” explains Kate Cowperthwait, the chapter president, “so we need volunteers for three crews. The registration crew registers the runners and walkers. The course monitors help direct the runners and walkers. (Because of the job, each course monitor needs to have his or her own car.) And the kitchen crew hands out refreshments after the event. All this takes place from 8:00 A.M. to 12:00 noon on Thanksgiving morning. That’s Thursday, November 26, this year.
“If you come help us, not only will you take a big step forward during this season of giving—but you will also get home in time for your own turkey dinner!” promises Cowperthwait.
If you are interested in volunteering, please call Megan DePietropaolo at (302) 655-5610, ext. 29, or email your interest to megan.depietropaolo@MSdelaware.org.
About the event
The PNC Bank Thanksgiving Day Run/Walk for MS offers a choice of USATF-certified 5K and 10K runs, the 5K walk, and the Kiddie Fun Run. Team captains receive information kits to help with recruiting, collecting pledges, and generating enthusiasm. For the first time this year, chip timing will electronically record the exact time of each 5K and 10K runner and walker. For more information, call Kate Cowperthwait at (302) 655-5610, ext. 23, or email your interest to kate.cowperthwait@MSdelaware.org.
About multiple sclerosis
Multiple sclerosis, an unpredictable, often-disabling disease of the central nervous system, interrupts the flow of information within the brain and between the brain and the body. 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 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 more than 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. In 2007 alone, through our home office and 50-state network of chapters, we devoted more than $136 million to programs that enhanced more than one million lives. To move us closer to a world free of MS, the Society also invested more than $50 million to support 440 research projects around the world. 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 the options by talking to a health-care professional and then contacting the National MS Society at www.nationalMSsociety.org or at 800-FIGHT-MS (800-344-4867). In Delaware, call (302) 655-5610, or visit www.MSdelaware.org.