It's never too early to prepare for an annual event like the traditional MS Walk in Estevan.
David Seipp, who has been co-ordinator of the event for the past nine years, said preparations among the provincial committees for the 2012 version began as early as January.
The MS Walk date in Estevan this year is set for Sunday, May 27 with registration beginning at noon with the actual walk getting underway at 1:15 following some entertainment and a little motivational address. The theme for this year's walk is: Lace up for someone you love.
In 2011, the walkers in Estevan raised a total of $39,848, Seipp said. The target for this year's event has been set at $45,000.
Multiple sclerosis is a complex disease, most often found in young adults, aged 15 to 40, but it can also affect children, some as young as two years old. The impact of MS on families, friends and community can be significant since it is unpredictable. MS can affect vision, hearing, memory, balance and mobility and its effects are physical, emotional and financial and they last a lifetime.
That's why raising cash for a cure is important, said Seipp, and that's why at least 85 per cent of the MS Society's net revenue is devoted to programs, research, providing services to people with MS as well as cash streams for clinics, social action plans, public education and chapter development.
The MS Society work began in 1948, but it didn't move into Saskatchewan until 1981. Since then, the core support has come from dedicated individuals, foundations and companies across the province and the country. Less than five per cent of its annual budget comes from government sources.
"The walk is the MS Society's largest pledge-based fundraiser," said Seipp. It involves over 60,000 participants and volunteers in more than 160 communities across Canada in the spring, summer and into the fall season. Each event location offers routes of varying length and at least one in each venue offers a wheelchair accessible route.
The walks began in 1991 and last year they raised over $12 million nationally and $783,000 in Saskatchewan alone.
Each community carries on with their unique MS Walk characteristics such as costume and theme events in Estevan.
"You'll come and experience a day full of excitement and hope that one day we'll live in a world without MS," said Seipp in a recent release. "You'll leave knowing you are a valuable contributor to making a cure a reality."
The walk in Estevan is definitely family oriented and last year's event that began in the forecourt of the Souris Valley Aquatic and Leisure Centre attracted 110 official participants who registered and then walked either in teams or as a family group or simply as individuals interested in making a difference.
This year's walk will once again start from the leisure centre.
As in the past, prizes will be awarded to those raising the most money, showing off the best costumes or offering up an original team name or displaying the most enthusiasm.
The MS Society has a Canadian membership of over 28,000 with 3,500 of them being in Saskatchewan. It is governed by a national board of 27 directors, all volunteers who are elected annually. There are seven regional divisions and over 120 chapters that are also governed by elected volunteer boards.
The MS Society's head office is located in Toronto with division offices in Dartmouth, Montreal, Toronto, Winnipeg, Regina, Edmonton and Vancouver.
When it comes to revenue and expenditure accountability, the society noted that 87 per cent of their money comes from donations and special events, while seven per cent is derived from grants, three per cent comes through the United Way, two per cent from miscellaneous sources and one per cent from investments and memberships.
Of the money raised, 35 per cent is used for research, another 28 per cent is directed toward client services and 11 per cent is used for administration and 10 per cent for public education while six per cent is for chapter and volunteer development. Four per cent of the revenue is expended on fundraising activities and another four per cent on government relations while two per cent is used for MS clinics.
Anyone wishing to volunteer for this year's walk or seeking more information about the MS Society is invited to contact Seipp at 634-0102 or 461-6165. He may also be contacted through Spectra Credit Union, Estevan branch.
