Monday, September 15, 2014

Word of the Day: Celebrate!

by Jackie Piper (with a tip o' the hat to Molly!)

Did you know that every day is a holiday in America? You should be putting on your party hat every morning because we are always celebrating something!  Little did you know that in the week ahead this great nation will pause to honor and celebrate causes, foods, and just some really weird things. 

Thanks to checkiday.com, I was able to compile some of them for you:  Make a Hot Dog Day, National Play-Doh Day, National Wrinkled Raincoat Day, Miniature Golf Day, and (my personal favorite) National Talk Like a Pirate Day. I swear I'm not making this up! I'm not denying that this is a great list of celebration inspiration, but I have a better list as we prepare to make our way to the Alpine Resort and participate in the MS Challenge Walk weekend. 

September 16 - Thank You Day - Take a moment to thank the folks who donated their time, talent and money to get you to your fundraising goal.

September 17 - Pack Your Socks Day - Go ahead and pack some underwear too!

September 18 - Paint The Peninsula Orange Day - It's arrival day and time to get our ORANGE on!

September 19 - Lace Up Your Shoes Day or Let's Do This Day! - All the walking, training, and fundraising brings us to this day and our first step.

September 20 - Hang In There Day - Sore muscles, tired feet and a few random blisters will not stop us now!

September 21 - Finish Line Day - Pump your fist, lift your chin, stand tall and say, "TAKE THAT MS!!"

Let the celebration begin.


Friday, September 12, 2014

The Word of the Day: VOLUNTEER

by Jackie Piper

Did you know that we are a nation of givers?  Americans are the most charitable people in the world.
Now that statement should give you your smile of the day. We give not only our money to worthy causes, we give our time.  Here are some hard facts about volunteering in America that just made me bust my buttons with pride to be an American.

By the numbers:

26.5%   The percentage of Americans who volunteer

7.9 billion    The number of hours of service given annually

64.5 million   The number of people who volunteer annually

When you compare Americans with Europe, we shine even brighter.  We are 32% more likely to volunteer than Germans and 21% more likely that the Swiss. 

Not surprisingly, the top ten states for volunteering include six from America's heartland.  And yes, Wisconsin is one of them!  I told you that you'd feel proud!!


Next week, those of us who are participating in the Door County Challenge Walk MS will get to benefit from a very special group of volunteers. If you have been a walker in the past, you know what I mean. If you are a new Challenge Walker, get ready to be pampered, spoiled, supported, fed, treated, and cheered by the most amazing group of people ever. They deserve our most heartfelt thanks for all they do to support the cause of ending MS forever!!

Monday, September 8, 2014

Word of the Day: FAMILY


by Jackie Piper


We are FAMILY.  We are the CHALLENGE WALK MS FAMILY.  In the dictionary under "Challenge Walk Family" it says (or it should say!):

A group of people who are united, determined, resilient, focused, 
unstoppable, supportive, single-minded, fun, crazy, loud, 
amazing, and awesome who are dedicated to creating a world free of MS.


Just the kind of family I can't wait to spend three days with!

Tuesday, September 2, 2014

The Word of the Day: ORANGE

by Jackie Piper

I don’t know about you, but all the time I spend training for Challenge Walk MS gives me a lot of time to think. And wonder. On a walk this week, when I should probably have been thinking about what I’m going to make for dinner or how many of loads of laundry I needed to get done, I was thinking about how ORANGE got to be the “color” of MS. You want to know the answer to that too, right?

I used the “contact us” feature on the National MS Society website.  I simply asked, “How was ORANGE chosen as the awareness color for MS?”  In less than 24 hours I got an answer. (That’s how good they are!)

So here’s the scoop on the color ORANGE and the message behind the MS logo, from Kathryn Finlaw-Heitz of the National MS Society:


“The logo has four primary components: the MS letters, the orange color, the supporting typestyles, and what is called the 'gesture.' The MS letters are set in a contemporary typestyle, Jigsaw, which suggests movement.

By adding a simple mark to the letters ‘MS’, we express our opposition to the disease in the most direct possible way. This mark also celebrates and expresses movement—and uses that movement to make a statement against MS. The MS and the mark remain readable and the message is clear.

The color, a warm orange, creates the urgency and visibility that enables it to stand out in a crowded cultural marketplace. Through research, we also know that orange means some very powerful things to people. Orange is generally regarded as:
  • Optimistic
  • Contemporary
  • Cutting edge

Orange is... a symbol for MS around the world.”

I’m looking at the logo in a whole new way. And I cannot wait to paint Door County optimistic, contemporary, cutting edge ORANGE!!!