More than 200 hikers joined MS4MS 2016 to help raise more than $60,000 for the Rocky Mountain MS Center! Our annual summer-long event is a self-directed twist on the more traditional 5k or other active fundraiser — we challenge our participants to challenge themselves, set their sights on a summit, and conquer it in support of the MC Center.
We hope everyone had a great hike, and a great experience! If you weren’t able to hike with us this year, we hope you can join us for 2017. Your hard work will have a tremendous impact on the services of the MS Center, including direct patient care, cutting-edge research, education programs and support services.
Head to Facebook and search for the MS4MS page where teams from around the country have shared their photos. If you haven’t, please “like” us while you’re there — we’ll keep you informed as we get ramped up for next year!
We’ve heard lots of great stories through MS4MS this year, but we’d like to tell you about two in particular.
Team Trail Mix: MS4MS Takes on Mt. Kilimanjaro
MS4MS has gone international! Team Trail Mix took their MS4MS efforts all the way to Tanzania. On August 18, they summitted one of the most famous peaks in the world — Mt. Kilimanjaro! We recently talked to Amy Grana, Team Captain and #MS4MS veteran.
MS4MS: Why did you participate in MS4MS?
Amy Grana joins another member of Team Trail Mix at the summit of Mt. Kilimanjaro.
Amy: A dear friend who has MS told me about it. They knew I love hiking and thought I might be interested. I did the first fundraiser last year and decided since I booked “Kili” in January, I’d hike for MS again.
MS4MS: Why did you want to hike Mount Kilimanjaro?
Amy: Kilimanjaro has been a dream of mine for the last six years. I hike a lot of 14ers in Colorado and trained for Rainier about six years ago too. I’ve put it off hiking Kilimanjaro for nerves, relationships, nerves some more, and later purchasing a house. Finally, I had a friend remind me how short and precious this moment is so I booked the trip. Life experiences are what we all need.
MS4MS: What kept you motivated to keep going even when you were so sick?
Amy: My dads voice telling me I can do anything I set my mind to. He is amazing and has always pushed me. Also, I had a great team on the mountain. My team consisted of two Kiwis (adventure racers) and a Chicagoan (marathoner). Also, we had a lot of porters who told us “pole pole” which is “slow” in Swahili. We hiked at a good pace and with the help of our guide, we made it to the top.
MS4MS: You received a ton of donations. How did you reach out to people & ask for money?
Amy: I reached out for donations through social media like Facebook and Instagram. Also, friends reposting my post to their walls.
MS4MS: What was the best part about the hike?
Amy: Sitting with my crew and getting to know them. We hiked for seven days and pretty much every moment was filled with laughter. In Swahili, we called ourselves “Familia Moja” or “One Family”. Summiting was great too, even though I felt weak. It was a whirlwind to the top.
Carolina Highlanders: Hiking with a Sweet Twist
What do you do when you don’t have a huge team of hikers? The Carolina Highlanders have a solution: Throw an office dessert party! Paul Boroughs, Team Captain, is one of the many Charles Schwab employees hiking for #MS4MS this year. The hike went off without a hitch, but Paul wanted to get even more people involved. At his home office in North Carolina, they threw a dessert party where they collected donations for their #MS4MS hike — to the tune of about $250. Here’s what Paul had to say about his team’s efforts:
Paul Boroughs and the Carolina Highlanders at South Mountain State Park in North Carolina.
MS4MS: Why did you decide to do MS4MS?
Paul: I was tired of doing “honey do” projects on the weekends and thought this would be a great way to get out of doing them and raise money for a good cause!
MS4MS: How have you raised funds?
Paul: This week we are organizing a dessert bash where we have everyone in Schwab’s Charlotte office can come eat dessert we have prepared, and then we will ask all our co-workers for donations!
MS4MS: Do you have suggestions for those trying to raise last-minute funds?
Paul: When hiking, bring your banner and set up a central location at the hike where the banner and all participants will be.
MS4MS: What hike did your team do, and do you have any stories to share?
Paul: We have done Crowders Mountain in NC. This past weekend we did South Mountain State Park where we hiked up the backside of the waterfall. Labor Day weekend we are going to hike the highest point on the East Coast, Mt. Mitchell.
