Feb 07, 2009
Wisconsin Makes a Mark for MS
Check the box.
That’s all it takes to make a difference in the life of a Wisconsin resident living with multiple sclerosis and requiring financial assistance. Specifically, when completing your 2008 Wisconsin Income Tax return, go to “donations” and check “multiple sclerosis.”
You can donate whether or not you are receiving a tax refund. And even though filing taxes isn’t on anyone’s Top Ten list of ways to have fun, you will feel good knowing that 100 percent of your donation goes directly to aid Wisconsin residents with MS.
Wisconsin Makes a Mark for MS, was signed into law in December 2005. The first year the donation option was available, more than 7,000 Wisconsin taxpayers checked the donation box and generated $84,955. The next year the program raised $88,611 – a four percent increase. This year the Wisconsin Chapter hopes to set a third-straight record for donations.
Jeremy Otte, programs and services manager for the Wisconsin Chapter and staff liaison for the organization’s Wisconsin Makes a Mark for MS Committee, said the impact of the initiative has been tremendous. “We’ve been able to help twice as many clients in a single year,” said Otte. Through December 31, 2008, financial gifts totaling nearly $110,000 were awarded to more than 100 clients. Those gifts are especially important because research shows the financial impact for each family living with MS is an average of $57,000 per year.
MS tax check-off financial gifts have supported a wide range of requests – from paying for cooling vests or room air conditioners to providing home accessibility modifications or purchasing medical equipment. “The program is designed to support MS-related needs and help our clients improve or maintain their independence,” said Otte. He added, however, that the Wisconsin Chapter cannot support purchases of products or services that already have alternative sources of funding. For example: Because pharmaceutical companies have financial assistance programs to help pay for medications, tax donations are not available for this purpose.
But make no mistake – your donation at tax time does make a difference in the lives of Wisconsin residents living with MS. And that’s why you should make tax time your time to make a mark for MS.
Tax Preparation Tips for People with MS
Visit www.wisMS.org and click on Winter Supplement to find a variety of helpful suggestions for completing your tax returns.