Category: Involvement with the MS Society/MS Awareness Week

Cheryl came in from the MS Society again and this year had an EXCELLENT presentation comparing MS to a broken/frayed iphone charger.  The presentations given to the e3 classes were wonderful!

6th grade

7th grade

8th grade

This year, I had a #MSsucks! sucker sale because MS sucks and my new office is located adjacent to the cafeteria.  I sold Tootsie Pop suckers at lunch.  For the week, students could buy a sucker (or suckers) at lunch.  I sold OVER 1,200 suckers!  It was for a modest profit but I think  it spread awareness about MS and it humanized me because it “sucks.”

This year, I also raised money by collecting change in students ‘e3 classes.  The classes were in competition with each other and the winning class would get a FREE dress-down AND a pizza party.

Here is what we collected:

It didn’t look like much but it took a LONG time to count:

We collected OVER $76 and the winning class got their dress down and pizza party.  They had pizza from Dearborn Italian Bakery, cupcakes from Kroger, orange Tootsie Pops, and orange Faygo.

 

 

 

Here are pictures from the winning class’s Pizza Party:

 

 

My cousin, Kimmy, took all of the pictures at CCA-MS and at the pizza party.  She also has MS so I guess it is a family affair.

 

This year the MS Walk – Wyandotte conflicted with Sean’s CYO Championships for track so we participated in the MS Walk – Detroit at Comerica Park.  It was A LOT bigger (about 2,300 people, Wyandotte is usually 100-200 people) so OF COURSE I cried!!!

My colleague (Mrs. Hine teaches 8th grade English) was participating as well so we walked with her and joined the team she was on.  Ms. Donna also came to join us as well!

We joined her friend, Brie, (who also has MS) and her team was “Team MS Fitness.”  It was kind of BIG!!!

The highest fundraiser won 2 Tigers tickets.  I put most of the money that my school raised in Sean’s name so we won.  He went to the game with my nephew, David.  They’re boys so they didn’t take any more pictures than this one (that I asked for!)  which was their view.  NICE!

Continue reading MuckFest 2015

 

 

This past school year I was unable to do MS Awareness Week festivities at my school but my colleagues knew it was MS Awareness Week and on Friday of that week, they showed their support for me.  There were more people wearing CCA-MS MS Awareness shirts but were unable to be in the picture.  My colleagues REALLY support me! ☺️☺️☺️

Last Fall, Patti with the Michigan MS Society asked me if  I was willing to be in a  photo shoot for the National MS Society’s re-branding.  Sure I was!  We conversed through email to find a place to take my pictures.  We talked about my house (which is teeny!), my son playing football at his school because I LOVE watching it!  My school, or at Barwis.  Well, that decision was easy.  Barwis is really big and could accommodate the fleet of people who would be there (there was a make-up lady,two photographers,  a couple other people, and Patti.  We agreed to meet at Barwis when it was my time. I got there and it was crazy! The hair and make up lady set up to do my hair and make up and it was so strange because  I was at Barwis  where I am SO comfortable but I kind of felt like a celebrity!

The photographers and Patty were talking to Elle  to sign the necessary paperwork and to set it all up as the lady was doing my make up.  I had been coming here for over two years and I knew all the guys there but I never thought about me NEVER wearing make up there. They all were surprised and made comments about me wearing make up when I was finished.   I was kind of  embarrassed! The  photographers  set up the lights and then it seriously felt like paparazzi! There were lights flashing all over the place! I  again was embarrassed! One of the photographers sent me  the pictures they would  use for the re-branding with the new year. Then I forgot about that.

I received an email from a from a woman with the National MS Society who wanted to interview me at the end of February and  we set up a time for a phone interview.  The woman was very nice to speak with and I’m a talker so we talked a long time.  She sent me a copy of the article that she had written and some quotes I had said that she would use.   I thought the article sounded pretty cool and she picked some really good quotes! Then I forgot about that too.

Patti emailed me June 3rd and told me that I was on the National MS Society’s Facebook page.

Well I thought that was pretty cool! I was famous! ?  Then I received a text on June 24th from my friend who  also has MS and she told me that she really loved the article in the MS Connection newsletter.  What?!   She asked if I received it and I had not so I asked my mom to check my mail. I had just gotten it. So I started flipping through it and there I was! On page 8!   The ENTIRE page! Then I  received a text from another friend who jokingly asked me for my autograph. She had made a donation to the MS Society a few years ago and she received the newsletter also!

A little while later, I received a comment on my blog. It was from a woman who also has MS and read the article in the newsletter! We’ve become friends  and converse via email often. It’s nice to talk with someone who  knows what it’s like to have MS and who I would not have known if it wasn’t for the article in the MS Connection newsletter!

Last weekend, I received another text from a friend who  sent me screenshots   He told me that I was on Facebook (even though I, myself, don’t do Facebook):

Now this last picture I have seen before in an email but the article that went with it  did not go with the picture. I didn’t think much of it then… but now I kind of feel bigtime!