Aug 19, 2009
Chapter Grand Re-Opening
Anne Handley
KENTUCKY CHAPTER OF THE NATIONAL MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS SOCIETY MOVES COMMUNITY WITH OFFICE MAKEOVER
Louisville businesses join in creating comfort for MS Society constituents and staff
Louisville, KY— For people diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS), a disease of the central nervous system with no known cause or cure, it means living a lifetime with unpredictable and disabling symptoms.
To the National MS Society, Kentucky-Southeast Indiana Chapter, keeping people living with MS moving, and providing support and resources for them to cope with the devastating effects of the disease, now occurs in an uplifting, unrestricted environment.
The non-profit organization, with the assistance of donations from local businesses, has recently completed a renewal to its Louisville offices, making them more accessible and inviting to the over 4,600 Kentuckiana clients they serve.
A special open house showcasing the office and celebrating contributors will be held on Thursday, August 27, 2009 from 12:00pm-2:00pm at The National MS Society, Kentucky-Southeast Indiana Chapter in Louisville (11700 Commonwealth Drive, 40299).
The free reception will include refreshments and a special presentation by Jeffersontown Mayor Clay Foreman. Radio Disney will also provide entertainment. The event is co-sponsored by the Jeffersontown Chamber of Commerce and is open to the public.
At the chapter headquarters, people living with MS, their care partners and health care professionals can speak with Society staff and volunteers, access expert information resources, as well as come together for support group meetings. The Society uses a customized approach to work with each person in overcoming the daily challenges of living with MS.
“Our offices now structurally reflect our commitment to the organization’s mission and heartfelt openness to support people living with MS in Kentuckiana”, says National MS Society, Kentucky-Southeast Indiana Chapter President, Stacy Funk.
The newly renovated offices feature brightly colored walls and inspiring photographs. It includes entrances, hallways and restrooms that are fully accessible to the physically challenged. The furniture is strategically located and easily moved, plus storage areas are maximized, allowing for a feeling of freedom in the space.
Seven Louisville area businesses provided goods and services for the makeover and reception: Phillip Patterson Painting, Inc. (painting of office and moving office furniture); Porter Paints (paint products); Kern’s Pie Kitchen (celebration refreshments); Take Note Design (celebration invitation design); Impression, Inc (celebration invitation printing); john conti Coffee Company (celebration refreshments) and Buca Di Beppo restaurant (volunteer meals).
Phil Patterson, owner Phillip Patterson Painting, Inc., says, “I know how much it means to my wife Dot, who lives with MS, to come to these offices for assistance, and to have her spirits lifted by the warm and comfortable surroundings, as well as the welcoming staff.”
The refurbished facilities will also assist National MS Society Kentucky-Southeast Indiana Chapter staff in organizing signature annual fundraising events: Bike MS: Bike the Bluegrass (www.bikeMSky.org); Walk MS in Louisville, Lexington, Bowling Green, Paducah, Bardstown, Columbia, Owensboro, Elizabethtown and Morehead (www.walkMSky.org); and The Best of Louisville Bash (www.bestoflouisvillebash.org).
The offices are open Monday-Friday from 8:30am-5:30pm and can be reached at 502-451-0014 or 1-800- 873-6367, as well as online at www.nationalMSsociety.org/kyw
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 body. Every hour in the United States, someone is newly diagnosed with MS. Symptoms range from reduced or lost mobility to 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 2.1 million worldwide.
About the U.S. National Multiple Sclerosis Society
MS stops people from moving. The National MS Society exists to make sure it doesn’t. The Society addresses the challenges of each person affected by MS by funding cutting edge research, driving change through advocacy, facilitating professional education, collaborating with MS organizations around the world, and providing programs and services designed to help people with MS and their families move their lives forward. Since its founding in 1946, the Society has allocated more than $550 million to MS research projects around the world. We are people who want to do something about MS NOW. To learn more about multiple sclerosis and the service programs the Society offers visit www.nationalMSsociety.org or call 1-800-FIGHT-MS (344-4867).
About the National MS Society, Kentucky-Southeast Indiana Chapter
Established in 1964, we provide local support more than 4,600 individuals with multiple sclerosis and their families in 108 counties in Kentucky, and Clark and Floyd counties in Indiana. The Chapter’s main office is located in Louisville and there is a satellite office in Lexington. We provide programs and services such as financial assistance, education on a variety of topics, referrals to community agencies and local professional specializing in MS, and access to self-help groups and counseling. We are the area’s best source of information about MS and the voice for Kentuckians with MS. We are passionate in our commitment to people affected by MS and can be contacted online at www.nationalMSsociety/org/kyw , or by phone at 502-451-0014 or 1-800-873-6367.