MOVING TOWARD A WORLD FREE OF MS September-October 2008
Volume 21 • Issue 5
Minnesota Chapter
Chapter awards scholarships to 39 area students
T
he economic impact of multiple sclerosis on families can delay or prevent qualified students from attending college, but the National Multiple Sclerosis Society believes MS shouldn’t stand in the way of an education. In 2008 the National MS Society Scholarship Program awarded more than $1.2 million in scholarships to students across the country. The Minnesota Chapter alone granted 39 scholarships — totaling $80,000 — to help college-bound students touched by MS in the local area pursue post-secondary education. Of the 39, 15 were first-year scholarships. Meet two of this year’s recipients.
Elena Glass, Roseville, Minn.
INSIDE THIS ISSUE:
Elena Glass graduated from Roseville
Events Page 8
Volunteers Page 9
Area High School, where she was active in musicals, speech team and choir. One of her fondest childhood memories is playing “sock fights” with her father. When Glass was 14, her father was diagnosed with MS. The onset of physical changes that ensued — including fatigue, tremor, cognitive decline and difficulty speaking — took a severe emotional toll on the entire family. But over time, Glass, and her family, learned to cope with the many challenges of the disease. Glass says her father’s MS forced her to find qualities in herself she didn’t know existed, and while her father can no longer play “sock fights,” they have found new ways to spend time together. “Instead of hurling socks at each other in the living room, we read together, have long conversations about religion and philosophy and watch Grey’s Anatomy every Thursday,” Glass said. continued on Page 14
Giving Page 11
Research Page 12