2008 Bike MS: Cox Atlanta Ride

The 2008 Bike MS: Cox Atlanta Ride
September 13 - 14, 2008 (8:00 a.m. start each day)
Callaway Gardens (Pine Mountain, Georgia)
www.bikemsatlanta.org

Cox Enterprises and other marquis Atlanta-based companies such as The Coca-Cola Company, Turner, UPS and Georgia Power, among many others, are putting the pedal to the metal to fight multiple sclerosis (MS) this weekend. In addition to corporate support, many family and friend teams are hitting the pavement to support the cause as well. The 2008 Bike MS: Cox Atlanta Ride bike tour is a two-day fundraising ride through Callaway Gardens and Pine Mountain, Georgia. For the first time, multiple distance routes will be offered to encourage participation from riders of all levels.

The Bike MS: Cox Atlanta Ride is celebrating its 22nd year and benefits the National MS Society-Georgia Chapter, which supports more than 8,500 people with MS and their families all over Georgia. The Bike MS: Cox Atlanta Ride's goal is to recruit 1,300 riders and raise more than $1.2 million in proceeds. Currently, Cox Enterprises has the largest team with 155 riders -- a Georgia Chapter record.

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Deliver the Dream Helps Georgia Families Forget Troubles During Retreat

BUSINESS WIRE --Dreams feel shattered when a family faces a serious illness like multiple sclerosis, but Deliver the Dream offers hundreds of families each year the chance to escape stress and enjoy time together at free four-day retreats.

From August 7-10, 11 families from the Georgia Chapter of the National MS Society will gather at the Dawsonville, Ga. Amicalola Falls State Park & Lodge at the 66^th Deliver the Dream retreat.

Made possible through financial support from Toyota Mall of Georgia in Buford, the retreat will include activities designed to help families “regain strength, mend spirits and just be families and kids again,” according to Deliver the Dream Executive Director Paul Withrow.

“Support from companies like Toyota Mall is invaluable,” said Withrow. “They help make these retreats possible for families who deserve a break.”

Jennie Williams, the wife of Toyota Mall’s owner, John Williams, serves on the Deliver the Dream board and has seen firsthand how these retreats brighten the lives of families facing illness.

“We are pleased to be able to help make these life-changing experiences possible for so many families,” she said. “I’ve seen what a difference laughter and togetherness makes for both kids and parents.”

This is the third retreat for families from the Georgia MS Society, according to Hilary LaMotte, director of clinical and chapter programs.

“With each year we see more families benefit from the retreat weekends,” she said. “We are grateful for Deliver the Dream for allowing our clients to spend time with other families living with MS and just have fun.”

Based in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., Deliver the Dream (www.deliverthedream.org) was founded by former JM Family CEO Pat Moran. Since 2002, the organization has hosted more than 3,500 family members on retreats. At the cost of more than $60,000 each, 12 retreats are held annually throughout Florida, North Carolina and Georgia. Retreat participants are referred to Deliver the Dream by a network of not-for-profit healthcare organizations.

Chartered in 1953, the Georgia Chapter of the National MS Society (www.nationalMSsociety.org) is one of 54 chapters in the U.S. It provides educational programs and direct services to more than 8,500 individuals in 159 counties.

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