Detroit Mayor Dave Bing and First Lady Yvette Bing 'Move Toward a Cure' With Thousands of Walk MS Detroit Participants, May 8 at Comerica Park

SOUTHFIELD, Mich., May 3 /PRNewswire/ -- When thousands of area walkers and volunteers take to the pavement for Walk MS Detroit on Saturday, May 8, they will be joined by Detroit Mayor Dave Bing, First Lady Yvette Bing, and other local dignitaries committed to helping people with MS move their lives forward.  Walk MS Detroit is sponsored by the National MS Society Michigan Chapter.

The Mayor and First Lady, Wayne County Executive Robert Ficano and Marketing Associates President & CEO Mark Petroff are honorary co-chairs of this year's walk, the second largest Walk MS event in the state.

Walk MS Detroit takes place May 8 at Comerica Park. The 2.8-mile route, along city streets, highlights local downtown gems such as Campus Martius, Jefferson Avenue, Greektown, and Ford Field, before returning to Comerica Park.

The honorary chairs officially start the walk, providing brief remarks at 9:45 a.m., before joining participants as the walk begins at 10 a.m. In addition, each honorary chair will host of team of walkers made up of their employees, family members and friends.

"It is important to maintain awareness and participation in the effort to find a cure for MS," said Mayor Bing. "We are honored to be a part of this important and on-going initiative."

"We are very pleased to have our four prominent co-chairs at the Detroit event to encourage and support the thousands of expected participants," said Elana Sullivan, president of the MS Society Michigan Chapter. "Walk MS is our chapter's largest fundraising event. It is the rallying point of the MS movement, a time and place for the entire community to stand together and demonstrate a commitment to a world free of MS."  

Thirteen Walk MS 2010 events take place throughout Michigan in May, June and September. Walk MS Detroit is the second largest event in the state with 1,300 walkers and volunteers raising more than $175,000 last year.

Event days are filled with fun, festivities and local celebrities. Interested participants can register at www.walkMSmi.org.

About Walk MS

Multiple Sclerosis is a disease of the central nervous system that interrupts the flow of information between the brain and body, ultimately interfering with movement. The National MS Society is committed to helping each person address the challenges of living with MS through a 50 state network of chapters.  It funds more MS research, provides more services to people with MS, offers more professional education and furthers more advocacy than any other MS organization in the world.  The Society is dedicated to achieving a world free of MS. 

Walk MS is made possible by the following sponsors: Acorda Therapeutics, Comerica Bank, EMD Serono, Henry Ford Health System, Ford Motor Company, Marketing Associates, Hour Detroit, My 18 TV – Lansing/Jackson, The Macomb Daily, The Oakland Press, Daily Tribune, Comcast, Tim Horton's, Whole Foods Markets.

SOURCE MS Society