Registration Fee Increases Saturday

The 9th Anniversary Challenge Walk MS Special Offer expires today. Don't miss this last chance to sign up for next year's Challenge Walk MS for just $99. The fee returns to its regular price of $125 on Saturday.

Save $26! Sign up now.

Last Chance for a Tech Tee

There are a few days left to purchase one of those stylish tech tees everyone was wearing during Challenge Walk MS weekend. They're lightweight, comfortable, and (in the ladies' version) come complete with those cozy thumb holes! 

Get one (or another one) for yourself, or pick one up for the person who showed you the most support in your Challenge Walk fundraising and training this year. The shirts are $25 each, plus $5 for shipping. 

Orders close on Sunday, so get yours in by October 31.

Click here to place your order. 

Because Mom Said So

“My daughter and I decided we wanted to have some sort of an adventure. I saw this and thought, ‘All right, this is it.’” That’s how Laura Chastain explained how she and her daughter Anna became two of this year’s Challenge Walk MS rookie participants. They named their team “because Mom Said so”.

Anna carried her mom piggy-back style
when walking got to be too much.

To help raise the $1,500 fundraising minimum each needed to reach, Laura invited people to sign her shirt from Walk MS for $2 a signature. Most people gave more. “It was a hoot! Neighbors and relatives and people at the coffee shop donated, people at the neighborhood festival. Most people gave more than $2, and one person had a very emotional reaction so it became a bonding thing,” Laura said. She also used an online participant page to collect donations.

Laura trained for a year prior to
Challenge Walk MS weekend. She
said leg strengthening exercises
made a huge difference.

Laura, who used to participate in Bike MS: TOYOTA Best Dam Bike Tour but hasn’t been able to since 2011 as her MS advanced, also knew she needed to build up her stamina for the other challenge of Challenge Walk MS – covering 30-50 miles across Door County in three days. “I challenged myself to see if I could gain some leg strength and walk further. Over a year I went from walking ¾ of a mile to walking two to three miles at a time several times a week; twice, I walked five miles! I asked my trainer for leg strengthening ideas and that made a huge difference.”

The training helped Laura cover approximately seven miles each of the three days, and when walking became too much, 19-year-old Anna stepped in, literally carrying her mom piggy-back style during some portions of the route. For their tenacity and tenderness, the mom-and-daughter duo was selected from among the 50 first-time event participants to be recognized as the Challenge Walk MS 2015 Rookies of the Year.

Thank Yous, Tech Tees and Photos Galore

Thank You,
Challenge Walkers!
You took up the fight and accepted the challenge … going from “I Can Do This” to “I Did It!” by covering up to 50 miles and raising hundreds of thousands of dollars. Already you’ve pushed the eight-year total past the $2.5 million mark. Keep at it!

Sign Up for 2016
Next year’s Challenge Walk MS will be September 16-18. Take advantage of the 9th anniversary special offer: register for $99 (a $26 savings) when you sign up by October 30, 2015. Click here to register NOW.
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Your Opinion Matters
Click here to take the Challenge Walk MS 2015 survey and let us know what you liked the most and what can be improved. And remember, planning for the 10th anniversary event in 2017 is beginning. Contact Nichole Shaffer at the Chapter (nichole.shaffer@nmss.org or 262-369-4416) if you would like to help or have ideas to share.


Send Us Your Selfies
Cameras were clicking throughout Challenge Walk weekend. Find those photos on the Wisconsin Chapter’s Flickr page (you can download them for free). Have some pictures to share? Email them to info.wisMS@nmss.org and we’ll post them for you. Sharing on your own Facebook page? Use #ChallengeWalkMSWI. Extra special thanks to volunteer photographers John Kalson, Bettina Heller, and Daryl, Dan and Casandra Holen for keeping everyone smiling throughout the weekend and capturing some fantastic shots.


And, Yes, Tech Tees Are Still Available!
Wish you would have ordered one of those stylish long-sleeve gray tech tees that everyone was wearing during Challenge Walk MS weekend -- or have you received so many compliments on yours that you want to order one for a friend or family member? You still can! Click here to place your order. The shirts are $25 each, plus $5 for shipping. Hurry though -- they'll only be available for a limited time. 

The (Orange) Fashion Guy

by Jackie Piper

My husband isn’t exactly known for being dapper. By that I mean he isn’t really a fashion conscious guy. To be blunt ... some mornings when he comes down to breakfast and I see what he’s wearing, I spit out my toast. Bless his heart. He also, very endearingly, gets attached to certain pieces of clothing. If he loves a shirt, no effort on my part to discourage him from wearing it DAILY (like hiding it at the bottom of the pile) makes any difference. Over the 41 years of our marriage, his style deficit and addiction to a particular shirt has made for some interesting commentary ... as in, “Are you wearing that gold tank top with the little whales on it AGAIN??”.

However, I am happy to report that my husband’s latest shirt addiction is none other than an awesome orange polo shirt with the Challenge Walk logo on the front that I bought last year at the Challenge Walk Silent Auction. I’m not sure who donated it (Pat Heller, maybe?) but I need to track down the donor and give that person a big hug!

If you are a first time walker, you are in for a treat on Challenge Walk weekend. You not only get to walk 50 miles, fight MS, and hang out with the greatest folks you’ll ever meet ... you get to shop! Right now dozens of participants and volunteers are working on amazing donations for the Silent Auction held during the weekend. You’ll get to pick from gift certificates, decor, handmade items, themed baskets, and (if you’re lucky!) really sweet MS apparel. So bring your checkbook and get ready to bid on some very cool stuff. All the proceeds will go to the National MS Society, of course.

On the orange shirt front, I’m happy to report that the Orange Shirt goes with everything, whether it really does or not. The quality is amazing too. The color hasn’t faded one bit even after laundering every third day! And, if there is another orange shirt in the auction this year in the right size, I WILL be the high bidder. Then, the Fashion Guy can wear a bright orange MS Challenge Walk shirt every day!

Important Deadlines and Details for This Year's Challenge Walk

It all comes together next weekend as more than 200 walkers, Super Crew and Crew members gather for the 8th annual Challenge Walk MS, September 18-20. If you’re already registered to be one of them, read on for important details and deadlines below.

Get a Challenge Walk Tech Tee
A special wearable item is sold in conjunction with each year’s Challenge Walk MS. This year’s item is a long sleeve tech tee – perfect for mid-season wear with 100% polyester fabric with micro-mélange body, moisture management, decorative top stitching and thumbholes (on women’s version only). Features the Challenge Walk MS logo. Available in sizes XS-3X for women and S-3X for men. Cost: $25. Hurry – the item is only available thru TOMORROW (September 9). Click here to order. 

Rookie Call
What should you pack? What should you expect? Find out how to get the most from the experience by being part of the conference call for first-time participants TOMORROW -- Wednesday, September 9 -- at 6 p.m. CDT. Dial 888-279-3775 and use code 4804#.

Room Payments are Due
Lodging payments are due by Friday, September 11 to secure your rooming reservations. Contact Jamie Baker at jamie.baker@nmss.org or 262-369-4435 to make your payment.







Last Call for Photos and Statements
Photos and quotes describing why you’ve joined Challenge Walk MS 2015 were due last month. If you missed the deadline but want to be included in the weekend displays, email your photo and one or two short sentences describing why you’ve joined Challenge Walk MS to Nichole Shaffer at nichole.shaffer@nmss.org no later than Friday, September 11. (Photo must be 1 MB or larger, headshot preferred. Email them to Nichole Shaffer.)

Turn in Your Silent Auction Items
Planning to contribute items for the Silent Auction? Send your item descriptions (including retail value and who should receive credit) to Jamie Baker at jamie.baker@nmss.org by Friday, September 11, then drop off the items at Alpine Resort when you check in on September 17. 

Treat Yourself to a Massage
Register by noon on Wednesday, September 16 for a $30, 30-minute post-walk performance massage at Alpine Resort on Friday or Saturday (or both).

Plan to Shop the Silent Auction and Cash & Carry Boutique
Come prepared to bid on art, crafts, gift baskets and more donated by fellow participants during the weekend. A “cash and carry” section will also be available for items under $50 that can be purchased outright. Proceeds benefit the National MS Society, and the final sale amounts are applied toward the donor’s Challenge Walk fundraising total. 


Rookie Meeting
First-time participants, you’re not alone. There will be nearly 50 other rookies at this year’s event. Meet them and get all your last minute questions answered during a special meeting for first-time participants at Alpine Lodge on Thursday evening (September 17). Meet at 7 p.m. near the check-in area.


Donation Due Date
The Promise to Pay form extends your fundraising deadline to September 25. All forms should have been submitted already but if you haven’t turned yours in, call the Wisconsin Chapter office at 262-369-4400 (toll free 800-242-3358 from inside Wisconsin) this week. All donations must be turned in by September 25.


Know Where You're Going ... and What You're Doing 
The Friday, Saturday and Sunday route maps and weekend itinerary are available online now. (Routes and itinerary subject to change.) 

Submitting Your Photo and Quote for Challenge Walk MS

Photos and quotes describing why you've joined Challenge Walk MS 2015 in Door County were due Friday. 

If you missed the deadline and want to be included in the weekend displays and special event keepsake, please submit a photo of yourself along with one or two short sentences describing why you’ve joined Challenge Walk MS to Nichole Shaffer at nichole.shaffer@nmss.org this week. (Photo must be 1 MB or larger, headshot preferred.)

If you already sent in your photo and quote but didn’t hear back from the Wisconsin Chapter, please resubmit your photo and quote to Nichole at nichole.shaffer@nmss.org.