May 16, 2012
North Bergen– This year’s Team Vitamin Shoppe already boasts more than 100 riders and has raised over $46,000 to help fund a cure for multiples sclerosis, a life altering neurologic disease that affects more than 2.5 million people worldwide. This year, the team hopes to bring the greatest number of riders to the ride AND be the largest fundraiser.
The Vitamin Shoppe will be presenting sponsor of the 2012 Bike MS Coast the Coast Ride this coming May 19th and 20th, that will begin at Monmouth University in West Long Branch and ride down the New Jersey coast to Cape May.
Over the past seven years, The Vitamin Shoppe has played a vital role in the success of the Bike MS Coast the Coast Ride with six of those years as the presenting sponsor of the ride. The Vitamin Shoppe provides cyclists on the ride with countless energy boosts with donations of healthy snacks and drinks for every stop on the ride, they man rest stops and play an important role at registration, The Vitamin Shoppe has been a true partner in the success of the Coast the Coast Ride. Since their start, Team Vitamin Shoppe has raised over $588,000 for the New Jersey Metro Chapter.
“The ride is possible because of the generous support of sponsors like The Vitamin Shoppe,” says Mary Beth Maclearie, Director of Bike MS. “The ride is an opportunity for both experienced and new cyclists to be a part of a cycling event that incorporates elements of fitness, camaraderie and fun. If you have not considered joining the ride yet, now is the time, it is an unforgettable ride with an unbeatable destination, a world free of MS.”
“Team Vitamin Shoppe has made a commitment to the National MS Society and our sponsorship for past six years which has provided us with the ability to combine charitable giving and a tremendous health and wellness opportunity for our associates and customers,” said Mike Provost, Team Vitamin Shoppe Co-Captain. “We have participants of all abilities who are riding to make a difference in the lives of those struggling with MS.”
All funds raised from the event will support critical MS research programs and fund local programs and services for those who are impacted by the disease, including more than 13,000 people in New Jersey and more than 400,000 people nationwide.
The Bike MS “Coast the Coast” Ride is the first in the NJ Metro Chapter’s three-part Bike MS Ride Series. The “Hops to Hops” ride (Sept. 16th) and the “Great NJ Country Bike Ride” (Sept. 22nd & 23rd) will finish off the series in early fall. To register please contact MaryBeth Maclearie at (732) 660-1005 or visit bikenjm.nationalmssociety.org.
About Multiple Sclerosis
Multiple sclerosis interrupts the flow of information between the brain and the body and stops people from moving. Every hour in the United States, someone is newly diagnosed with MS, an unpredictable, often disabling disease of the central nervous system. 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 more than twice as many women as men being diagnosed with the disease. MS affects more than 400,000 people in the U.S. and 2.5 million worldwide.
About the National MS Society
The National MS Society is a movement by and for people with MS. The Society funds cutting-edge research, drives change through advocacy, facilitates professional education and provides programs and services that help people with MS and their families to move their lives forward. MS stops people from moving. We exist to make sure it doesn’t.
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