PARKERSBURG - Community members banded together to fight off an incurable disease Saturday with the annual Dodgeball Tourney to benefit Multiple Sclerosis at West Virginia University at Parkersburg.
"This is our fourth year holding a dodgeball tournament to raise money in hopes of funding a cure for MS," said organizer Tom Yencha, director of student activities at the school.
The event, organized by the student activities department at WVU-P, hoped to raise $1,500 for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society.
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Photo by Jolene Craig
Members of six dodgeball teams comprised of companies and organizations from the area play in a dodgeball tournament Saturday at West Virginia University at Parkersburg with funds going to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society.
"Last year we raised $3,200 with 30 teams; we were very successful," Yencha said. "This year, I hope we can reach our goal with the six teams we have signed up."
Andy Walker, who has been living with MS for several years, works with the students on the event.
"WVU-P doing this means a lot to me," said Walker, who works with the National MS Society in West Virginia. "The location is perfect because everyone knows where WVU-P is, there is more than enough parking, and 100 percent of the money raised goes to find a cure for MS."
According to the National MS Society, MS is a chronic, often disabling disease that attacks the central nervous system that is made up of the brain, spinal cord and optic nerves. Symptoms may be mild, such as numbness in the limbs, or as severe as paralysis or loss of vision.
The progress, severity and specific symptoms of MS are unpredictable and vary from one person to another. New treatments and advances in research are giving new hope to people affected by the disease.
"I don't see MS as a disability," Walker said. "It is a hindrance that keeps me from doing things the way I'm used to, but I have learned to adapt."
In a separate event to continue to fight the disease, Yellowbeard's Tavern in Vienna will host a music extravaganza with proceeds going to the National MS Society on May 11-13.
Music to Crush MS will include local and national bands, including Five Foot Forward, Jinx'd and Modern Superstar as well as popular headlining act Skid Row. Other bands are Hit Parade, Atom Smash and Trixter along with Britny Fox, South of the River Band, Mark Wills and Jason Michael Carroll.
Tickets are available for $25 for Friday, $35 for Saturday and $25 for Sunday. Prices will go up the night of the shows. A package is available for $65 for all three nights or $45 for Friday and Saturday. Tickets can be purchased at Yellowbeard's, West Virginia Central Credit Union and Sound Exchange.
There will be a silent auction and food such as pizza, hot dogs and pulled pork sandwiches available for purchase as well as band merchandise.
Vendor spaces and sponsorship opportunities are still available by calling Taunia at 304-919-0352.
