The Tools I Use to Fundraise

by Lori Rousseau

This week I am concentrating my efforts on fundraising. The National MS Society has great information and tips on raising funds. Here are the tools I use: the Participant Center, email and letter writing.

Lori (center)  includes self-addressed, stamped envelopes
 with her donation request letters to make it as easy
as possible for people to give. 

The Participant Center allows you to put pictures up, write a personal message to your donors and track donations with a thermometer, all via the Internet. It is very easy to set up and you can personalize it to fit your needs. When a donor pledges online, they usually see this page. So make sure the information is accurate.

I also use email to request donations. There are several different templates you can use or personalize one that works for you. There are templates to request donations, send follow-ups and thank you. Again, very easy to use once you get your contact names and email addresses into the system. You will be able to retrieve this information each year.

The last avenue I use is letter writing. I know you are probably thinking snail mail, but it works best for me since not everyone has a computer. Again there are templates available to help you produce a letter. I even include a self-addressed stamped envelope in my request to make it as easy as possible. (For a sample letter, click here.)

So you see fundraising is not complicated. The Society gives you many tools to be successful. Always be appreciative of the amount you receive. Try to reach out to many individuals. You never know who will support you. Good luck!

I Was So Mad

by Jackie Piper

I read a book to my young grandchildren called "I Was So Mad" about a little critter that is furious that he can't get what he wants. It expresses perfectly how I feel about MS. I am "so mad" that the cure for MS eludes us so far! Instead of throwing a tantrum, I am thrilled and privileged to be a part of the movement to make a cure happen through Challenge Walk MS 2013.

I am training in northern Minnesota this week while on vacation and we are staying in a small resort with 12 cabins. There are three unrelated people here this week who have MS. That makes me "so mad!” However, I am so grateful to the Wisconsin Chapter of the NationalMS Society for giving me the opportunity to do something about it.

Jackie Piper and Janet Osborne of MS WARRIORS training
for Challenge Walk MS 2013

Why I Walk in Challenge Walk MS

by Lori Rousseau

Lori (center) will be participating again this year,
surrounded by family and friends.

My name is Lori Rousseau and I was first diagnosed with MS in 1997. This will be my fourth Challenge Walk. My motto is I walk for those who can't. Now don't get me wrong, I can't walk the full 50 miles, so I walk as far as I can with a cane and then I get pushed in a wheelchair by either a family member or friend. So anyone can do this.

I love doing the Challenge Walk for so many reasons. I love the massages, meeting old friends, the beautiful scenery, the different rest stops (every 3 miles) and the silent auction pieces. I have included photographs from my Challenge Walks during the past four years.

One tip I can share with you is to bring a variety of clothes such as rain gear, cold weather clothes and warm weather clothes since we never know how the weather will be. We have walked in rainy, windy and hot weather during the past four years.

This is a great life-changing experience and I look forward to it every year. Come join the fun with me. Hope to see you there!

Next week I'll start working on my fundraising.

A Recap of Wednesday's Conference Call

The first of this summer’s Challenge Walk MS conference calls was held last night at 6 p.m. These monthly calls are a chance for first-time participants to learn more about what to expect during Challenge Walk MS weekend, and for return participants to find out what’s new for the 2013 event. Callers are also able to ask questions, and pick up fundraising and training ideas from other participants. New topics are addressed each month.

Highlights from the discussion are as follows:

Numbers Update: Currently 114 are registered and more signing up each week! There’s still room left for more, so recruit family members and friends to join or ask them to donate: challengewalkMSwi.org, 800-242-3358.

• Volunteers are equally important to Challenge Walk MS success and so far 13 Super Crew and 28 Crew have signed up. (Both Super Crew and Crew are volunteers. The difference is that Crew members have committed to coming up for the weekend, paying for their own expenses and volunteering where needed; Super Crew members volunteer as needed but commit to raising the $1,500 or more. In exchange, their accommodations are provided.)
• This year’s fundraising goal is $415,000. Blew that out of the water last year – we have no doubt it will be a repeat year, especially with the many DIYs coming up and other fundraising being done in the weeks before the event.
• If you have donations in advance, feel free to send to the office. It speeds up the process for everyone and makes for a faster check in at the event.

Deadlines: August 21 is the when the minimum pledge of $1,500 must be submitted. Also the date to identify your intention to be in the Celebration Club (walkers and super crew who pledge to raise $2,500 or more). Gives staff time to put together the extra perks for you. There is a Promise to Pay form that extends the deadline to Sept. 23. All we need is your contact info and credit card. (We don’t charge the card; if we do need to use it we give you a call and let you know.) That extra month can be helpful for everyone.

Route: 30 and 50 mile option available. Routes will take walkers through Egg Harbor, Clark Park and Peninsula State Park. New this year: the Day 2 route will begin at Alpine.

Support Options: Medical, Support And Gear (SAG) Vehicles to transport walkers, rest stops along the route to provide snacks along the way, water, medical assistance, bathroom breaks.

Half-day Bags: Small bags with items you want available to you at lunch (e.g. extra shoes, change of socks or clothes, Chap Stick, etc.) Staff members collect the bags at the start line and deliver them to the lunch stop for you, then take the bags to the finish line. Weather is often cooler in the morning and warmer in the afternoon, so it’s handy to have the option for adding or taking off layers at the mid-point of the day. (Note: Participants provide their own bags.)

Thursday Night: There is an option to book a room for Thursday night, allowing you to get checked in, pick up your welcome bag, etc. rather than doing it Friday morning. Chapter staff will call you at the end of August/early September to make arrangements for you. In your registration form, you can select the option; if you or someone else forgot or changed plans, call the Chapter and let staff know. (Note: for overnight accommodations throughout the weekend, cottages sleep a larger number of people, the lodge rooms sleep 1-2. Chapter staff helps make those arrangements and will verify them with you to make sure they are OK.)

Massage Reservations: One of the highlights of the event and a way to decompress after a day of walking is by getting a massage. The terrific massage therapists from Signature Body & Mind Solutions will again be set up at Alpine to provide massages on Friday and Saturday afternoon and evening. No reservations are required, although advanced reservations can be made online. 15-minute sessions cost $1 per minute.

Letters of Inspiration: Your family, friends and colleagues can send personal letters, cards or notes ahead of time that will be delivered to you through the weekend. It helps you stay motivated and inspired. Ask them to mail them to the Wisconsin Chapter office (1120 James Dr., Ste. A, Hartland, WI 53029) or email them to jamie.baker@nmss.org. Deadline to receive them is September 13.

Where the Money Goes: The money goes to fuel a lot of research and programs by the National MS Society, with 84 cents of every dollar going to the mission. Examples: financial assistance for home/vehicle modifications; more than 350 research projects currently funded. Twenty years ago there were no FDA-approved treatments for MS; today there are 10, including two new oral therapies in the past year. Donations to Challenge Walk MS helped make that happen. The Chapter has a three-star Charity Navigator rating and is a Better Business Bureau-accredited charity.

Photos and Quotes: All participants are asked to provide a photo and quote that will be used during the weekend. Please provide a photo of yourself from Challenge Walk MS in a previous year, or you and the person you walk for, or of your family or team. Also send us a quote about why you walk or a quote that inspires you. Photos should be no larger than 1 MB in jpg format. Quote should be short (1-2 sentences). Email them to jamie.baker@nmss.org by August 31.  

Challenge Walk MS Blog: It’s been started up again as we head into this year’s event. Find it at

http://challengewalkmsdoorcounty.blogspot.com/ (If you’re reading this, you have found it.) Read posts from past years and new ones coming in the next few weeks. Special thanks to four veteran walkers – Jill Jones, Jackie Piper, Marian Rezel and Lori Rousseau – who have committed to writing for it. Additional bloggers are always wanted. If you’re interested, call Maureen at 262-369-4421 or email her at maureen.waslicki@nmss.org. Subscribe to receive updates when new posts are added, which will be every week between now and the end of September.

Posters: Will be sent out beginning next week, two to each registered participant. Use them to help you raise money, recruit more walkers or volunteers, and raise awareness. Additional copies are available at the Challenge Walk MS website’s Fundraising Headquarters, which has other tools helpful in your efforts.

Open Discussion/Questions and Tips:

Q: When does the walk start?
A: By 8 a.m. each morning. Medical is available before you begin all three mornings if you need it. It will be an open window for starting but everyone is required to be on the route by 8.

Q: How long does it take?
A: In past years, some walked from 8 to 4:30. Others with a faster pace are done in the early afternoon.

Q: What are we walking on, asphalt or gravel?
A: Mainly roadways and wider trails that cars can access, so asphalt and sidewalks.

Tips from Past Participants:

• Invest in a really good pair of walking shoes. May go through three pairs before you find one that works well for you.
• Buy some padded socks from a running store. Put them on at lunch – highly recommended. They make a huge difference.

Also of Note:

• Routes will be similar this year, although we’ll leave from Alpine on Saturday as well as Sunday morning instead of traveling to another start location. This will give everyone more time with medical assistance in the morning, allowing people to leave on their own pace by 8 a.m.
• Money raised by anything brought in for the silent auction goes to your fundraising total.

-Higher-end items are preferred – a quilt or painting or robust gift basket.

-Please let the Chapter staff know what you will be providing (description, value, who should receive the $ credit) by September 13.

-Volunteers are being sought to run the silent auction this year, so if you have ideas or would like to help, please let Chapter staff know.

• Two more conference calls: Wednesday, August 14 and Wednesday, September 11, both at 6 p.m. When calling in, you can press *6 to mute your line (#6 to unmute) to block out any background noise on your end.
• One of the topics that will be addressed on the August call is the silent auction. If there are additional topics you would like covered, please email Jamie Baker at jamie.baker@nmss.org.

Thank you for accepting the challenge!

Despite what the team name implies...

Sari (right) and teammate Barb are decked out and ready to train!

by Sari Swets, Team No Swet

It is a steamer here in West Michigan already at 8:00 a.m.! It is supposed to be in the 90s and humid tomorrow as well, and Barb (my teammate) and I are taking a 22-mile walk tomorrow! Yikes!


We will hydrate and have a halfway stop (my mom!) in case we want to call it quits.

John Jacob Jingleheimer Schmidt

by Marian Rezel, Team Multiple Screwballs

Although she can "clock" up to 29 miles per hour,
Marian has found that 2.75 miles an hour, including
breaks, is her perfect pace.

I thought I would share some strategies that I use while training for Challenge Walk MS. One of the key things was to figure out what was a reasonable pace for me to keep over many miles of walking. I didn’t want to go too fast and burn out and I didn’t want to go too slow. I found for me, that 2.75 miles an hour, including breaks, was a perfect pace .

I usually listen to music when I’m out walking with my dogs, but when I’m with my daughter training for the Challenge Walk we usually just talk. If I sense that my pace has slowed down – talk talk talk equals less walk walk walk for me – I just hum the tune of John Jacob Jingleheimer Scmidt and we get our pace straightened out.

How far to walk and how often, you ask? Check out the training guide on the Challenge Walk website. I stuck to that the first year I walked and felt great. If you can’t commit that much time to training, walk at least 2 to 3 miles at a crack, several times a week. Try to get a 5- or 6-mile walk in during the weekend.

Map out some routes. I know that if I walk to the gas station and back, it’s 2 miles; if I walk to Target, it’s 4 miles round trip. Find some hiking trails and walk them. Challenge Walk MS does include hilly terrain; make sure you get some up-hills and down-hills in your training.

Vary your stride. I take giant steps when walking up hills and tiny steps when descending the hill. Try walking sideways uphill or down. Walk backwards if you have someone with you that can prevent you from straying into traffic or off a trail. The variety of steps helps work out different muscle groups and reduces muscle exhaustion.

Too hot to walk on land? Water walk. I did this a lot last year. Walking for an hour in a waist deep pool is roughly equivalent to walking 2 hours on land, plus it’s nice on the joints.

And don’t forget to drink your water.

Thank you!

Veteran walker Fran McLaughlin sent out a thank you note and photo collage after the 2012 Challenge Walk MS in Door County. Here’s what the note said:

“50 Miles X 5 years—250 miles walked for MS Research so far! Thanks to everyone who supported me on this walk, extortion emails notwithstanding. I power walk around the peninsula, and love the scenery. Apple orchards, cranes, winding roads, driftwood, ramshackle farm buildings, King Kong (?!) holding a Barbie, sunflowers and sunsets. The “reverse wave” below eventually made it from the front to the back of the line as we crossed the finish line! We wear blaze orange and we’ll fundraise until they find a cure! THANK YOU for your help in 2012!

“The Door Peninsula is beautiful! Cave Point was the start on Day 2. The Olympic Torch was part of an ‘Olympic Village’ rest stop—complete with the Queen in pastel and purse without any money in it! I traded my Sheriff’s badge for a British Bobbie uniform for the occasion. Photo of my favorite team, ‘Walk the Talk’ - two of these women in photo have also done the 50-mile walk for 5 years in honor of their mother who died from complications of MS. One has MS. Info you may never need to know, but once known, is ingrained in your brain: that white wildflower is known as ‘Dolls Eyes’ which is just a little creepy. The horse greets us every year we pass this way. Gus, at left, is the resort ‘mascot.’ Very old-school Wisconsin resort—like the rusty bottle and wine openers on the medicine cabinets in the bathrooms!”