Mar 11, 2013
Meghan Freeman
Cape Girardeau (March 11, 2013) – The Gateway Area Chapter of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society would like to invite the public to take part in creating a world free of MS during MS Awareness Week, March 11-17, 2013.
The MS Awareness Rally will celebrate MS Awareness, something the National MS Society acknowledges year round. Staff, volunteers, and participants will gather to share, educate, and build awareness in raising support and hope for a world free of MS. The Gateway Area Chapter’s 90-county service area is home to 6,900 people living with MS. Nearly 600 of those people live in Southeast MO and Southern IL. Money raised through the rally will go to fund important research for a cure, as well as fund programs and services to help those individuals living with MS, as well as their family and friends.
The rally will include a balloon artist, face painting by Alotta Fun 4U2 Productions, an MS education station, Walk MS registration station, sign-up for Schnucks eScrip cards, MS swag and cookbook sale, and much more.
If you are not able to attend this MS Awareness Rally, visit our website for other ways to get involved during and after MS Awareness Week, www.gatewayMSsociety.org. On this site, you will find links to How-To Guides, images, email signatures, Letter to the Editor and Letter to a Legislator templates, and other helpful documents. There is also a section that lists many ideas on how to take the initiative and further your awareness outreach. Ideas are separated by the amount of time it should take to complete a mentioned task – 5 minutes, 30 minutes, a few hours, or even more time. There is something for every person’s busy schedule!
For information about the many programs, services, and events offered by the Gateway Area Chapter, such as Cape Girardeau Walk MS, visit www.gatewayMSsociety.org or call 1-800-344-4867.
WHAT: MS Awareness Rally
WHEN: March 16, 2013 - 12pm to 4pm
WHERE:
JC Penney Court
West Park Mall
Cape Girardeau, MO 63703 (map)
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. Symptoms range from 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 6,900 individuals here in the Gateway Area Chapter and more than 2.1 million people worldwide.
About the National Multiple Sclerosis Society
The National MS Society addresses the challenges of each person affected by MS. To fulfill this mission, the Society funds cutting-edge research, drives change through advocacy, facilitates professional education, collaborates with MS organizations around the world, and provides programs and services designed to help people with MS and their families move forward with their lives. In 2012 alone, the Society invested $43 million to support 350 research projects around the world while providing programs and services that assisted more than one million people. The Society is dedicated to achieving a world free of MS. Join the movement at www.nationalMSsociety.org. You may also contact your local Gateway Area Chapter at www.gatewayMSsociety.org or 314-781-9020.