Feb 23, 2009
MS Awareness Week Set for the Week of March 2nd
Liz Vinson
CHARLOTTE, NC - The National Multiple Sclerosis Society, Mid-Atlantic Chapter, will observe MS Awareness Week the week of March 2-9, 2009 (Monday-Monday), as part of a nationwide effort to increase awareness of the chronic disease of the central nervous system that robs those affected of the ability to move. The National MS Society’s call-to-action, “Move It,” focuses attention on both the debilitating effects of MS, a disease for which there is presently no cure, and the need to support research efforts. The Mid-Atlantic Chapter serves all of South Carolina and 33 counties of western North Carolina.
As part of MS Awareness Week, the Mid-Atlantic Chapter will host MS Service Day on Saturday, March 7th from 8:30am-4:00pm. Volunteers from Castle Cooke and the Charlotte and Kannapolis communities will be helping with a variety of home service projects for people living with MS. The Service Day initiative, launched in 2007 in Charlotte, has now become part of a national pilot program nationwide for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society.“One day of work really can have such a tremendous impact,” said Craig Lynch, a member of the National MS Society’s Board of Trustees and the original founder of MS Service Day. “Our volunteers help people living with MS complete tasks in and around their homes that they are physically unable to do by themselves; things we take for granted.” Home Depot in Kannapolis has been so generous to donate supplies for the projects and Brusters is donating their amazing ice cream for the volunteers at the end of the day. Find out how you can volunteer for MS Service Day!
About Multiple Sclerosis
Multiple sclerosis is a chronic, unpredictable neurological disease that most often strikes otherwise healthy adults generally between the ages of 20-50. MS can cause blurred vision, loss of balance, poor coordination, slurred speech, tremors, numbness, extreme fatigue, problems with memory and concentration, paralysis, and blindness. These problems may be permanent, or they may come and go.
Studies show that early and ongoing treatment with an FDA-approved therapy can reduce future disease activity and improve quality of life for many people with multiple sclerosis. Talk to your health care professional and contact the National MS Society at www.nationalMSsociety.org or 1-800-FIGHT-MS to learn about ways to help manage multiple sclerosis and about current research that may one day reveal a cure.
Calendar of Events:
MS Service Day
March 7, 8:30am-4:00pm
Join the National MS Society, Mid-Atlantic Chapter and its volunteer groups in its 3rd annual MS Service Day. An MS Service Day volunteers help with a variety of home and yard service projects for people who have MS. Service Day will take place in Kannapolis N.C.
Walk MS
Walk MS is a major fundraising event for the National MS Society that takes place each spring, attracting a greater number of participants every year. It is one of the Mid-Atlantic Chapter’s largest fundraisers, generating more than $1,000,000 from 13 walks across North and South Carolina in 2007. Annually, Walk MS takes place in more than 600 cities nationwide. For more information, call (800) 477-2955 or visit http://walkncp.nationalmssociety.org.