The Fourth Annual Tallahassee Big Bend Walk to fight Multiple Sclerosis took place on Saturday at the North Florida Fairgrounds. One of the coordinators was Corrine Taylor who said the goal was to raise $10,000.
"We've just got a little bit more to go. But the community has been great donating. We've got people coming out wanting to walk 2, 3, 4 miles out here to bring awareness to MS."
As of the end of the walk, organizers said the total raised by the event itself had exceeded $7,500. Donations for the Walk will continue to be accepted through the National MS Society’s fiscal year, which ends on September 30. Any donations made by that date will count toward this year’s Walk MS goal.
Many of the walk's participants dedicated their efforts to friends and family members who have the disease. Among the more than 100 walkers doing that was John Knight and his faithful canine companion, a basset named Brady Bay.
"My wife Melanie has MS. She's actually on the committee for the annual MS luncheon they have here every year. She's had MS for 10 or 12 years. So we do everything we can to help support MS and the cause. It's an amazing cause!"
The number of MS cases has been increasing over the past 50 years. The National Multiple Sclerosis Society estimates nearly one million Americans now have the disease, which breaks down the protective covering of the nervous system.
