Carlsbad CA— The National Multiple Sclerosis Society in San Diego will host the 2016 San Diego County Credit Union Walk MS, a fundraising walk, starting at 5 p.m. on Saturday evening, April 16 along Armada Drive in Carlsbad.
National MS Society officials expect about 3,500 people will walk and help raise more than $400,000 for MS research and program and services for people with MS, an unpredictable, often disabling disease of the central nervous system that interrupts the flow of information within the brain and between the brain and body.
The route for the three-mile walk will be along Armanda Drive overlooking the Carlsbad Flower Fields and looping around the Legoland California theme park. Check-in begins at 4 p.m.
It’s the first time since 2006 that the National MS Society’s North County’s Walk MS fundraiser in Carlsbad will be held in the evening. National MS Society officials said walkers will experience beautiful sunset views while spending an evening with friends and family members. The festival site will feature live music, vendor booths, kid zone and more. Free snacks and beverages will be provided to walkers, plus live music and a festive finish line celebration.
Now in its 26th year in San Diego, Walk MS is known for drawing a large number of teams representing businesses, neighborhoods, clubs, community groups, churches and family members and friends of a person with MS. Many teams come up with a team name and outfit their members with costumes, including T-shirts, hats or balloons. All it takes is four or more people to form a team.
Admission is free to attend Walk MS. On-site registration will be available. Event information is available at www.WalkMS.org. Walkers will have the opportunity to earn prizes, including t-shirts, movie tickets and gift cards, based on the amount of donations they collect.
San Diego County Credit Union (SDCCU), San Diego’s largest locally-owned financial institution, is returning as title sponsor of Walk MS in Carlsbad. SDCCU has supported the National MS Society’s Walk MS for the past 18 years, and has served as title sponsor since 2002. Over the years, SDCCU’s sponsorship support for Walk MS has exceeded $1 million, according to the National MS Society.
Presenting sponsors of the 2016 San Diego County Credit Union Walk MS include NBC 7 San Diego, KyXy 96.5, Energy 103.7 and Sycuan Casino. Other sponsors include Biogen, Sanofi Genzyme, Mother To Baby, Ability Magazine, San Diego Business Journal, KPBS and Langers Juice. The National MS Society’s national Walk MS sponsor is Novartis.
Last year, the 2015 San Diego County Credit Union Walk MS in Carlsbad drew 3,351 walkers and volunteers and raised $402,000 in donations.
The National Multiple Sclerosis Society’s San Diego-based Pacific South Coast Chapter serves more than 51,500 people affected by MS living in San Diego, Orange and Imperial counties, as well as the Hawaiian islands. MS, the most common neurological disease leading to disability in young adults, is typically diagnosed between the ages of 20 and 50, although an estimated 8,000-to-10,000 children under the age of 18 also live with MS. Two to three times more women than men have been diagnosed with MS. An estimated 2.3 million people live with MS worldwide. MS symptoms can range from numbness and tingling to blindness and paralysis, as well as blurred vision, loss of balance, poor coordination, slurred speech, tremors, numbness, extreme fatigue and cognitive deficits. Symptoms might be permanent, or they might come and go. By eating away at the coating that allows nerve cells to transmit messages, MS can lead to restrictive or awkward movements and mental gaps, among other problems. Studies indicate that genetic factors may make certain individuals more susceptible to the disease, but there is no evidence that MS is directly inherited.