Jun 25, 2012
On Saturday, June 16th, the New Jersey Metro Chapter of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society held its annual scholarship award ceremony. This year the chapter awarded scholarships to 64 area students distributing a total of $68,200. Board Members Meryl Ravitz and Joe Revello are the driving forces behind this powerful program. Please contact the Chapter if you are interested in more information about the program and how to get involved.
The economic impact of MS is substantial. Direct and indirect costs of MS, including lost wages, can be overwhelming and often delay or prevent qualified students from attending college. The National MS Society strongly believes that MS shouldn’t stand in the way of an education. This is why the National MS Society's scholarship program exists — to help highly qualified students who have been diagnosed with MS or who have a parent with MS achieve their dreams of going to college. “We know so many families struggling to cope with the financial impact of MS,” says Jim Roberts, president of New Jersey Metro Chapter of the National MS Society. “This is why we are fighting this often hidden effect of multiple sclerosis.”
Ms. Ravitz who grew up with a parent with MS experienced firsthand the all of the struggles associated with the disease. This is why she has made the MS Scholarship Program her passion and works tirelessly each year to see that all those who would like to further their education have the opportunity to do so. Mr. Revello was diagnosed with MS in 1995 and since then he has taken the lead in raising money for many of the New Jersey Metro Chapter’s programs and services. Joe and his wife Denise made the scholarship program a priority for their fundraising efforts because they recognize the struggles of families who are coping with the financial impact of MS and believe that MS shouldn’t stand in the way of an education. For more information about the New Jersey Metro Chapter’s Scholarship Program please contact Patti Pasquino at 201-967-5599 extension 206 or patti.pasquino@nmss.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.