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| Diane Hackbarth (right) sparkles in her tiara with Challenge Walk MS participant Cindy LeBlanc at the 2015 event. |
Diane Hackbarth has been a familiar face at Challenge WalkMS since 2010. A long-time Walk MS participant, she added the three-day,
50-mile event to her annual schedule out of dedication to her daughter, who was
diagnosed with MS 10 years ago.
Hackbarth was unofficially crowned as the “Queen of
Volunteers and Transporter of Socks” at this year’s Challenge Walk in
recognition of the amount of volunteer work she does for the National MS
Society. In addition to leading the Walk MS: Sheboygan committee and helping
throughout the weekend at Challenge Walk each year, she crosses state lines to
participate in Bike MS: Twin Cities.
At Challenge Walk itself, Hackbarth helps
out in a number of ways, including transporting the walkers’ half-day bags
(which often contain a fresh pair of socks) to and from the lunch stop each
day.
What is it about Challenge Walk that keeps her coming back?
“It’s all about the people,” Hackbarth said. “I’ve met so
many wonderful people from all over the state, all over the country. It’s a
vacation to come here and spend time with them again.
“I do this because 10 years ago my daughter was diagnosed
with MS and I found out that MS is stronger than a mom’s kiss – I couldn’t kiss
it and make it better,” she added. “So I volunteer to raise money for the
people who can [make it better], and they’re doing wonderful work. As long as
they’re making progress, I’ll keep volunteering.”
