Volume 1, Issue 1 YOUR LOCAL MS STAFF:
Clare Lorio 4200 Innslake Drive Suite 301 Glen Allen, VA 23060 804 –591-3037 clare.lorio@nmss.org
Toinette Wright 1020 Carrington Place, Suite 100 Charlottesville, VA 22901 434-645-6043 toinette.wright@nmss.org
Amanda Pritt 1700 MacCorkle Ave., SE Suite 141 Charleston, WV 25314 304-343-5152 Amanda.pritt@nmss.org
We Are Thankful For You! V O L U M E
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In November, the annual meeting for the Virginia-West Virginia Chapter of the National MS Society went High Tech! Meetings were held simultaneously in Richmond, Charlottesville, Virginia Beach, and Charleston. During the live feed broadcast we had a greeting and introduction by our Chapter President, Sherri Ellis, and a state of the Chapter year end review and 2016 Board Elections were delivered by Board Chairman, Greg Bishop. During this meeting we highlighted the wonderful work of our volunteers and amazing success of our Walk MS Events. The Chapter held 22 Walk MS events in fiscal year 2015. In total, 408 teams and 750 volunteers came out. We had over 6,800 walkers participate and 167 of those raised more than $750. It was definitely an exciting year and we raised $827,000. Top teams and fundraisers in each area were recognized during this annual meeting and presented with a plaque.
Walk MS Registration Now Open! By registering your team early, you will have the advantage of more time to fundraise for your team, register other walkers to join you, attend kick-off events in your area, join a walk planning committee, become eligible for pre-event incentives and prizes, and rally your team! TO REGISTER: Call the Fundraising Support Center at 888.372.1331 OR log onto www.walkms.org , click on register now. From here you will search for your walk location. Once your location is selected, you will be able to either register a returning team, or create a new team. The walk site will be your tool to help manage team and individual money raised, invite people to join your team, communicate by using email and social media to rally your friends, neighbors, family and co-workers to help your team reach its goal!
Tips to Fundraising Success
Team Made Strong, Morgantown 2015
You have all seen that small walk team that came to your event and raised thousands of dollars to fight MS, and you always ask yourself “how did they do it?” These tips and tricks will get you on your way to successful team fundraising!
Be a Walk MS Super Hero!
Team Namaste-Charleston, WV 2015
SET GOALS! Set a reachable goal with your team and plan how you will reach that goal. Keep everyone updated on how close you are to reaching it-or how much you blew that goal out of the water! NEVER UNDERESTIMATE THE POWER OF SOCIAL MEDIA– post on your personal page! Let people know what you’re doing and WHY. DON’T FORGET WHO YOU’RE WALKING FOR– We all walk for one cause; to find a cure for MS, but there are also personal reasons why people walk. Tell your story, or the story of the person you’re walking for. HAVE FUN! Fundraising for your team is a lot of hard work, but it is also FUN! Never forget to put the FUN in FUNdraising
Featured Fundraiser– MusicMS, the Sound of a Cure Every year we do the MS Walk because my wife has MS, and like so many other families , there's nothing we wouldn't do to find a cure for those we love most in this world. We pledged to do more this year and decided to do a benefit - we came up with a music benefit called "MusicMS, the Sound of a Cure." One of Virginia's best entertainers, and ambassadors, Susan Greenbaum, agreed to give her time and talent to the event that was held at Shady Grove Methodist in Short Pump. We learned a great deal putting on this benefit , not the least of which is a new found appreciation and respect for folks that organize benefits. Through the hard work of friends, family and volunteers, we were able to raise $1,600, which will give us a great jump on our 2016 Walk MS!! We are forever grateful for the generosity and kindness and time that people gave joining our hopes of a time when no one ever has to hear they have MS again — Randy Pennington, Team Fighting MonsterS