Mar 05, 2009
Community Leaders Test Clovis' Accessibility
Community Leaders To Spend Morning in Wheelchairs Raising Awareness for Persons with Disabilities
A group of Clovis community leaders will take a new set of wheels for a spin, when they take part in the National Multiple Sclerosis Society’s Roll-On, on Wednesday, March 6, 2009.
Participants for the Roll-On include: Col. Babette Lensant, Cannon Air Force Base, Randy Harris, Bank of Clovis, Kim Wilson, Cannon Federal Credit Union, Debbie Abrego, Southwest Cheese Company, Casey Peacock, Rooney & Moon Broadcasting, Kathy Teston, Women’s Medical Center, Clovis Chamber President, Claire Burroughes, City of Clovis, Jennifer Williams, Williams Insurance Agency.
The participants will be asked to spend a morning going to work, running errands and doing everything they would normally do, but in a wheelchair. Many persons with MS are forced to rely on a wheelchair or scooter or other device to help them get around. The idea behind the Roll-On, is to encourage awareness for the difficulties they and every person with a disability faces everyday. Clovis Home Medical Equipment and 1st Choice Medical Equipment will provide wheelchairs for participantsThe event kicks off with a 7:30 a.m breakfast at the Clovis-Carver Public Library. From there, participants will be asked to spend the rest of their morning in a wheelchair. Media is invited and encouraged to follow the participants throughout the morning, as well as photograph, tape and interview them about their experience. The event wraps up at 11:30, at Applebee’s, where participants will fill out an evaluation of their experience, talking about the difficulties and challenges they faced, and what, if any, changes need to be made to the places they visited.
Event participants will also be asked to do something about MS Now and Join the Movement by bringing awareness to the upcoming Walk MS on April 25th, sponsored by Southwest Cheese.
Our title sponsor for the 2009 Walk MS, Southwest Cheese, will be on hand at Applebee’s to present the National MS Society with a sponsorship check for $5000. The check presentation is planned for 12noon.
A complete itinerary and participant list is enclosed. Again, media is invited to catch up with participants at any time during the event.
MS is a chronic, and often disabling disease that attacks a person’s nervous system. The progress, severity and specific symptoms of the disease cannot be predicted; symptoms may range from numbness to paralysis and blindness.
Studies show 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.