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The goal of Kids Get MS Too is to provide an opportunity for children and adolescents with MS, and their families, to meet others in similar situations, and to talk with the team of health professionals from the Partners Pediatric MS Center about the care of children and teens with MS.

• Winter Weekend
• Family Camp
• Fenway Park

Kids Get MS Too – Winter Weekend

Saturday, March 10-Sunday March 11, 2012
This program is free, but pre-registration is required by March 1st 

Join us for an educational and fun winter weekend getaway in western MA. Enjoy time with other families living with Pediatric MS, and learn more from healthcare professionals on various topics. Registration includes overnight hotel accommodations (one room provided per family), dinner on Saturday, breakfast and lunch on Sunday.

If you would like to attend this please contact Allyssa Thompson at 1-800-344-4867 option 1 or at Allyssa.Thompson@nmss.org. We hope that you join us for a fun experience!

This program is handicapped accessible.
Eligibility: Open to kids and teens with MS, ages 8-18, and their family members.

Kids Get MS Too Family Camp 2011

August 19-21, 2011
Camp Yavneh, Nottingham, NH

Kids Get MS Too Family Camp 2010

This three-day retreat for children and teens with MS, and their families, took place at Camp Yavneh in Northwood, N.H., August 20-22, 2010. The retreat, planned by the Kids Get MS Too Council, was attended by 5 families as well as volunteers, staff & presenters.

After settling into our hotel-like accommodations and finishing off the home-cooked dinner, Lori Babbitt (mother and council member) started the weekend with introductions and welcoming everyone to the 1st Annual Kids Get MS Too Family Camp Retreat. David Rintell, PhD, Family Counselor at Partners Pediatric MS Center at the Massachusetts General Hospital for Children, led the campers in a lively discussion about families and what they mean to us. This was followed by highly creative activity in which families fashioned their own ‘Family Shield’ or ‘Crest’ to express the individualistic and shared characteristics of their family. After dark we followed the trail out to the campfire and spent a couple hours roasting marshmallows and making up campfire songs……no American Idols this year!

On Saturday, everyone traveled down the road to Durham, N.H. to the Browne Center for Innovative Learning, where families were captivated with the team building games and ventured onto the high ropes course to challenge each other to “climb higher!” or “JUMP!”. This was undoubtedly the highlight of the trip as kids and parents climbed ladders, walked the tightropes, took the Leap of Faith and mastered the Giant Ladder in two person teams. In the afternoon, while parents relaxed and talked by the lake, kids spent a few hours cooling off and trying their luck on the water trampoline. Amazingly still full of energy after dinner, we all played a short round of the ‘Toilet Paper’ game led by council member Bob Eagan and learned a few things about each other, while laughing until our stomachs hurt! Christine Dorman, a volunteer young adult with MS and recreation professional, led the group in creating their Family Banners for a competitive game of ‘Fun Family Olympics’ followed by a marathon game of ‘Apples to Apples’– the new favorite game for all.

On Sunday, still raring to go, parents attended a presentation on ‘Special Needs Trusts’ with attorney Christine Windler, while the kids tie-dyed t-shirts to take home. Before lunch, the group gathered together for one more craft activity and made friendship bracelets and other braided and beaded “jewelry.” Our final meal was a BBQ that was followed by a moving closing ceremony when parents and families shared what the experience meant for them. After sharing emails, hugs and goodbyes families started on their journeys home with thoughts of returning to Camp next year!

Kids Get MS Too — A Day at Fenway Park

On July 23, 2011, twenty-one teens with MS and their families created wonderful memories at Kids Get MS Too - A Day at Fenway Park! Participating families from New England, New York and New Jersey had a great time as they socialized, shared experiences and made new friends. They were treated to a Fenway Park Tour and had the chance to watch the Red Sox warm up during batting practice. Officially announced to the Fenway crowd as “Pediatric MS Day at Fenway Park” during the traditional pre-game activities and announcements, this event was a great opportunity to increase awareness about Pediatric MS, the Society and the Chapter. During these announcements, several representatives from the Chapter and the Kids Get MS Too program had the opportunity to wave to the sold out crowd from the field. The day concluded with the successful win by our hometown boys against the Seattle Mariners. This amazing opportunity was made possible by the generosity of our donors and individual gifts from the Van Houten Family and the Partners Pediatric MS Center at the Massachusetts General Hospital for Children.

2011 Kids Get MS Too Day at Fenway Park

Two teens with MS, Brianna & Corey; Paul Van Houten (chapter board member); and Sarah MacIsaac, Program Manager; Dr. Tanuja Chitnis, Director of the Partners Pediatric MS Center at MassGeneral Hospital for Children; Dr. Mark Gorman, staff physician at Partners Pediatric MS Center and at Children’s Hospital, Boston; and Dr. David Rintell, family counselor at Partners Pediatric MS Center represented the Chapter and the face of Pediatric MS on the field in front of the Fenway crowd!

The National Multiple Sclerosis Society has selected the Partners Pediatric MS Center at MassGeneral Hospital for Children as one of six Pediatric MS Centers of Excellence in the country. The goals of the centers are:

• To provide optimal medical and psychosocial care and support to children and their families;
• To educate the medical community about pediatric MS;
• To develop a nationwide shared network of knowledge, and build a framework for research into this patient population.

For more information about the Partners Pediatric MS Center, please visit their website: http://www.partnerspediatricmscenter.org/, or call 1-617-726-6093.

If you have any questions about Kids Get MS Too, contact Amber Stalker, 1-800-344-4867, option 2, x127.

Participating National MS Society Chapters:
Greater New England (Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Vermont), Connecticut, and Rhode Island