Stephanie and Daisy
A Guest Blog by Stephanie Mitchell of Vandalia, Ohio
If you think attending an event for the National MS Society is only for those who fundraise, think again. This past weekend, the Ohio Valley Chapter held their annual Bike MS: Venture the Valley cycling fundraising event to benefit National Multiple Sclerosis Society. This was my second year volunteering at the event and, I can tell you firsthand, it is an amazing testament to the concept of “community”.
I saw numerous communities this weekend:
- The cycling community – riding more miles in one day than I have often put on my bike in one season!
- The fundraisers – albeit the vast majority are the riders, their families, friends and coworkers all pitched in to help the cyclists achieve their fundraising goals.
- The volunteers – of which I was proud to be a member of this community; National MS Society Ohio Valley Chapter employees and non-employees alike.
- The vendors – many of whom donated their goods, services and time to provide food, beverages and care to the riders and those in attendance.
- Those with MS or family/friends affected by MS – although one can only gather this detail by chit chat, many, many people at the event were people just like me; directly or indirectly impacted by MS.
Yet, I still noticed that something was missing. As many different communities were represented over the three-day weekend, I noticed that the community missing was the general public. I’m not saying this is wrong or right, but I am saying that even one additional person not usually involved in an MS event is one additional person armed with knowledge about the disease and why events like these are held throughout the year.
So, to the general public, I say to you: “Go!” Next year, lets all work to get the word out about these events to our non-riding, non-walking, non-mucking communities. Lets inform our friends, families, neighbors and coworkers to come and enjoy the festivities with us. Lets notify them that, just by attending, they bring awareness to the event and to the illness. But what would they do while there, you ask? Show them how to help cheer those along the course or while crossing the finish line. Let them do as we do: dance the night away to Saturday’s live music, buy food from the vendors or purchase a dining hall ticket, purchase a beverage or two and let their funds spent that night go in some way to the National MS Society and its causes.
And, most importantly, let the community show the participants WHY they bike, walk and muck; WHY they work so hard to raise money for those of us impacted by MS. From a previous post of mine: be all-in or not in it at all. That’s what I saw from each of the communities I encountered this past weekend; they were definitely all-in. And that’s what we need to do with our extended communities as well; help them to become all-in and engage in the National MS Society events, too.
The views, endorsements, and opinions of the guest blogger do not necessarily reflect the views of the National MS Society. If you would like to be a guest blogger, please email Rich Walburg.
