Three Professionals Honored For Outstanding Support Of Local Charity
March 16, 2015
From left to right: Mike Stacy, WRCH Lite 100.5; Diane Biegel, chair of Connecticut Chapter Research Advisory Committee; Selma Searfoss, chair of the Connecticut Chapter Financial Assistance Committee; Jeffrey Gross, chair of Connecticut Chapter Clinical Advisory Committee; Lisa Gerrol, Connecticut Chapter president and CEO.
ROCKY HILL, Conn. – Three professionals were presented with appreciation plaques for their outstanding support of the National MS Society, Connecticut Chapter, at the organization’s Annual Meeting on Sunday, March 15, in Rocky Hill.
More than 6,300 Connecticut residents are affected by multiple sclerosis, a potentially debilitating disease affecting the central nervous system. The cause is unknown and there is currently no cure. Multiple sclerosis creates a range of challenges that can result in short-term financial crises, difficulty obtaining critical equipment and home or auto modifications, and diminished capacity to pay for MS-generated needs.
The Society’s Financial Assistance Program was developed to bring meaningful financial assistance to as many people living with MS as possible, with emphasis on helping people maintain their independence, safety, health and quality of life. To implement this program this small group of volunteers contributed their professional and personal insights, making sure that the chapter is doing all that it can.
Dr. Diane Biegel, is a biomedical researcher and professor. Biegel is chair of the chapter’s Research Advocacy Committee and member of the Board of Trustees for many years. She actively educates the community and our board members about research progress in MS.
Selma Searfoss is a social worker and has been active with the Connecticut Chapter since 1993. In her private practice, Searfoss facilitates support groups for her patients and their families and helps people meet the challenges of chronic illnesses including MS. She serves as the chair of the Financial Assistance Committee and is Secretary of the Board of Trustees. Searfoss also serves on the Executive Committee and the Compensation Committee.
Dr. Jeffrey Gross, is director of Associated Neurologists of Southern Connecticut, a Partner in MS Care, Comprehensive Care Center. Gross serves as the chair of the Connecticut Chapter’s Clinical Advisory Committee and is a member of the Board of Trustees.
Mike Stacy, of WRCH’s Lite 100.5, was the event’s emcee and Gerrol is the Connecticut Chapter president and CEO.
For more information on the Connecticut Chapter or to learn more about the chapter’s next fundraiser, Walk MS, please visit ctfightsMS.org.
About the Connecticut-Rhode Island Chapter of the National Multiple Sclerosis (MS) Society
The Connecticut Chapter strives to provide knowledge and assistance to help people with MS and their families maintain the highest possible quality of life. These goals are achieved through vital national and local programs.
About Multiple Sclerosis
Multiple sclerosis is an unpredictable, often disabling disease of the central nervous system that disrupts 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 leading to better understanding and 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 2.3 million people worldwide.