National MS Society Raises More Than $787,500 Through Walk MS

USA (SANEPR.com) June 24, 2008 -- The Eastern North Carolina Chapter of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society announced the 2008 Walk MS raised $787,837. The May 3 Triangle event attracted more than 4,000 supporters and participants to the RBC Center. Monies raised from the 19th annual Walk MS event will help the nearly 4,300 people living with multiple sclerosis in eastern North Carolina. Sixty percent of all the funds raised will go toward programs, services and advocacy for people living with MS in the Triangle and eastern North Carolina, and 40 percent supports national research to find the cause and cure of MS.

“The turnout of supporters was fantastic,” said Bethany Coggins, special events manager for the Eastern North Carolina Chapter of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. “We appreciate the efforts of everyone who worked so hard to make the event a success. We exceeded last year’s total by more than $56,000.”

Raleigh resident Lenora Josey, a first-time walk participant, was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in January of 2008. In recent months, Josey has been an active member of the National MS Society. She participated in the longest walk route – 5.5 miles, and raised $1,700 in donations.

“It’s an awesome event to see people come together for a cause,” said Josey. “This organization has been a tremendous help to me. The people are so polite and nice and helpful. I thank God for the staff and all their time and concern for us.”

Registration for Walk MS 2009 opens October 1, 2008. For more information, visit http://walknct.nationalmssociety.org or call 1-800 FIGHT MS.

About Multiple Sclerosis:
Multiple sclerosis interrupts the flow of information from the brain to 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 Multiple Sclerosis Society:
MS stops people from moving. The National MS Society exists to make sure it doesn’t. We help each person address the challenges of living with MS. Each year, through our home office and 50-state network of chapters, we devote approximately $125 million to programs and services that enhance more than one million lives to move us closer to a world free of MS. In 2007, the Society invested more than $46 million to support 440 research projects around the world. We are people who want to do something about MS NOW. If you or someone you know has MS, please contact the National MS Society today at www.nationalmssociety.org or 1-800 FIGHT MS to learn about ways to help manage multiple sclerosis and about current research that may one day reveal a cure.

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