Bike Tour Volunteers Needed
The National Multiple Sclerosis Society needs your help during the National City MS 150 Bike Tour, September 10 & 11, 2005 in Columbia, Missouri. Six hundred volunteers are needed to help an anticipated 3,000 cyclists cross the finish line. With a variety of volunteering positions, it is easy to find one that suits you best.
Non-specialized volunteers are needed to help with registration, and to help at the finish line fun and festivities. About every 10 miles along the route there are rest stops to supply food, beverages and encouragement to the cyclists. Volunteers are needed at each rest stop to assemble sandwiches, cut fruit and pour drinks. Specialized medical volunteers are also needed at rest stops. These include MDs, RNs, LPNs and EMTs.
Support and Gear (SAG) vans patrol the bike route to provide assistance to cyclists in need of a ride due to bike troubles or fatigue. SAG drivers volunteers also mark any hazards on the route. Volunteers with large truck experience are needed as supply truck drivers. Supply truck drivers distribute food, water, and ice along the route, and the volunteer must be able to lift 50 pounds. The SAG drivers and the supply truck drivers must be licensed, insured drivers over the age of 25, and some of the trucks require a CDL Class C license or above.
The National City MS 150 Bike Tour is expected to raise $2 million to help end the devastating effect of multiple sclerosis. Without the help of volunteers, the Bike Tour would not be possible. All of the money raised funds research and provided programs and services for more than 5,000 people living with MS in the Chapter’s 90-county service area in eastern Missouri and southern Illinois. For information on volunteering, call Emily Jokerst at (314) 781-9020. For more information on the National City MS 150 Bike Tour, please visit www.gatewayms150.org.
Multiple sclerosis (MS) usually strikes adults in the prime of life – between the ages of 20 and 50. It is a chronic disease of the central nervous system affecting the brain and spinal cord. One new case of MS is diagnosed every hour. It comes and goes unpredictably, leaving people to wonder, “Will I become paralyzed, blind or have trouble walking? Will I be able to raise my family and continue my career?”
The Gateway Area Chapter supports local and national research, and offers direct programs and services to more than 5,000 people living with multiple sclerosis in a 90-county service area covering eastern Missouri and the southern third of Illinois. For more information on MS, please call 1-800-FIGHT MS or (314) 781-9020, or visit online at www.gatewaymssociety.org.
