Troy and Tory Santymire, 12, of Centreville are at the Walk MS Reston event to support wife and stepmom, Allison Santymire, who has MS. Photo by Mercia Hobson.
It might take a village to raise a child, but it will take all of us together to end multiple sclerosis. On Saturday, April 8, hundreds of individuals came together at Walk MS Reston, held at the Reston Town Center, 11900 Market Street, and sponsored by the events Premier National Sponsor, Sanofi Genzyme.
For participants living with multiple sclerosis, Walk MS Reston was an opportunity to connect with others living with MS and to the services and support offered by the National MS Society.
Walk MS Reston was also the culmination of a fundraising event. Friends, families, and co-workers had teamed up together to change the world for everyone affected by MS through fundraising efforts. Teams had been formed, goals established, and networks formed. People fundraised through Facebook and shared their stories.
Emcee Julie Upham told the crowd, “Ending MS for good will take all of us. It's why Walk MS matters so much." Upham reported that last year, the cumulative fundraising of Walk MS surpassed a billion dollars.
Upham explained that the donations raised help to ensure that every person affected by MS experiences life-changing breakthroughs provided by nationwide services, cutting-edge MS research, powerful advocacy, increased awareness and more.
Upham added that with the incredible fundraising efforts at Walk MS Reston, the bar was set even higher "to accelerate breakthroughs."
Top Teams and Top Participants
Walk MS shined a light on the Top Teams and Participants.
The five top teams were: #5-Walkalicious ($6,330), #4- Schmid Happens ($6,695); #3- Michelle's Strong! ($6,715); #2-Team Woody ($8,825); and the Top Team, #1- Team Onos raising an astounding ($51,256).
The Top Participants were: #5-Leah Schmid ($4,660); #4- Nicole Davis ($5,305); #3-Jacob Onufrychuk ($6,075); #2-Bill Onufrychuk ($11,475) and # 1- Cathy Onufrychuk ($19,346).
Team Onos, lead by Team Captain Cathy Onufrychuk was given the honor as the #1 fundraiser at the event to cut the official start ribbon. Five, four, three, two, one; cut and they were off. MS Walk Reston was on.
As of Monday, April 10, the MS Walk Reston website revealed the event had raised 74 percent of its goal of $240,000, raising $177,109. If you want to learn more about MS or how to donate, visit walkmdm.nationalmssociety.org.