National MS Society Announces Walk MS 2008 on May 3

Thousands Expected to Attend Event to be Held at RBC Center

RALEIGH, N.C. (March 17, 2008) — The Eastern North Carolina Chapter of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society is excited to announce Walk MS 2008 is scheduled for May 3 at the RBC Center in Raleigh. Walk MS, an annual fundraiser in its 19th year, is an opportunity for individuals to support the estimated 4,300 people who are living with multiple sclerosis in eastern North Carolina. The event’s fundraising goal is $1 million.

“In 2007, more than 4,400 participants and volunteers helped raise $740,000 during this event. With the help of 5,000 participants and volunteers, the $1 million goal is well within reach,” says Bob Bryan, president of the Eastern North Carolina Chapter of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society.

Sixty percent of all the funds raised will go toward programs, services and advocacy for people living with MS in eastern North Carolina, and 40 percent supports national research to find the cause and cure of MS.

“MS is the number one disabling disease among young adults,” explains Bryan. “When thousands of people dedicate time and energy to raise money, it gets us that much closer to creating a world free of MS.”

In addition to the one, three and five mile walks, the event will feature the Bike MS Kick Off Ride and the MS 8K Run for Research. Other activities throughout the day include a ramp building festival, live entertainment by The Embers and Big Daddy Rhythm and the Heavyweights, as well as many kids activities.

For more information, registration and event sponsorship, 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.

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Amy Wojiechowski
amy@articulon.com
(919) 232-5008

The Eastern North Carolina Chapter of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society
3101 Industrial Drive, Suite 210
Raleigh, NC 27609
http://walknct.nationalmssociety.org

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.

This release was published on openPR.