TULALIP — The Tulalip Amphitheatre will once again serve as the site for the Walk MS fundraiser in Snohomish County on Saturday, April 14.
The three-mile walk itself is set to kick off at 10 a.m., after a 9 a.m. registration followed by a short program at 9:30 a.m.
More than 10,000 people are expected to turn out for Walk MS events in Seattle and seven other communities across Washington from April 14-15.
The National Multiple Sclerosis Society’s Greater Northwest Chapter has set a total fundraising goal of $1.87 million for these Washington events, which are being presented by Haggen Food and Pharmacy, as well as Top Food and Drug. Together with more than a dozen other Walk MS events in Alaska and Montana, the Chapter hopes to raise more than $2.2 million from this year’s Walk MS, which is its single largest annual fundraiser.
Walk MS takes place in 600 communities nationwide to support services and programs for people living with MS, as well as research into the causes, treatments and even a cure for MS.
MS Society supporters can participate as individuals, join a team or start a team. The public can also support walkers by making donations in their names at www.walkmsnorthwest.org.
“Thousands of people come together at Walk MS to have fun, celebrate successes large and small, build a caring community and raise money for programs and research,” said Chapter President Patty Shepherd-Barnes. “Walk MS is absolutely vital, because research is bringing better and better treatments, and pushing us that much closer to a cure. Also, in this economy, people living with MS depend more than ever on Walk MS-supported services and programs.”
The National MS Society has launched the “MS Now” campaign to further focus on research by raising $250 million by the end of 2015.
Multiple sclerosis is a chronic, often disabling disease of the central nervous system. It usually affects people between the ages of 20-50, with varied and unpredictable symptoms including fatigue, numbness, loss of balance, vision problems and paralysis. There is no cure for MS, but better treatments over the years are helping people live with and manage the disease.
For more information, contact the National Multiple Sclerosis Society’s Greater Northwest Chapter by phone at 1-800-344-4867, ext. 2, or online at www.walkmsnorthwest.org.
