Wrentham-based Team FIT WERX/MPB Hosts “Tropical Oasis” Fundraiser

Wrentham-based Team FIT WERX/MPB will host a “Tropical Oasis” Fundraiser on Saturday, April 30, 2011, 7:00 p.m. at the Walpole VFW on Robbins Road, Walpole. 

Proceeds from the night’s auction and raffles will be donated to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society (NMSS), supporting the fundraising efforts of FIT WERX/MPB as they prepare to ride in the 2011 Bike MS:  Cape Cod Getaway. 

“This is our second year participating in the Cape Cod Getaway, but the first year we’ve been able to host a team fundraiser to help us reach our goal of $75,000,” said Marleigh Phillips Brown, Team Captain and a person living with multiple sclerosis (MS).  “Our 50-plus member team includes cyclists from a number of local towns, including Foxboro, Franklin, Plainville, Norfolk, Walpole, Wrentham and others.  At the fundraiser, we plan to have a really fun night while raising money for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society."

Diagnosed with MS in 2009, Marleigh joined the more than 400,000 Americans living with this unpredictable, chronic disease. An active stay-at-home-mom, wife, and health and fitness advocate, Marleigh loved triathlons and competed regularly with her brother, FIT WERX Co-Owner Dean Phillips. 

In 2010, Marleigh, her husband Tim and her three brothers joined together to establish Team FIT WERX/MPB.  The Team hopes that by participating in the Bike MS:  Cape Cod Getaway, they will generate increasing awareness for MS and raise money to support NMSS’ efforts to research the cause of the disease and find a cure. 

The “Tropical Oasis” Fundraiser will feature a live auction featuring local artwork, sports memorabilia and more, as well as raffles and gift certificates from local merchants.  A variety of hors d’oeuvres will be served, accompanied by a cash bar, and live entertainment will be provided by the band, Tumbling Dice and DJ Jack Hazil. 

Admission to the event is $10 per person and will be collected at the door.   To make a monetary donation, visit www.bikems.org or send a check, made payable to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, addressed to Marleigh P. Brown, FIT WERX/MPB, 95 Sumner Perry Drive, Wrentham, MA 02093.  Anyone wishing to donate an auction item, should contact Tammy Wilson at jtwilson3@msn.com. 

The Cape Cod Getaway is a two-day 150-mile ride and the largest MS ride in New England.  Over 2000 riders are expected to participate this year, pedaling from Quincy, MA through the coastal towns of the South Shore to the beginning of Cape Cod on June 25th.  On June 26th, the riders will cross the Bourne Bridge and ride through picturesque Cape Cod as they make their way to Provincetown where the event ends. 

FIT WERX/MPB welcomes any interested riders to join their team as a cyclist -- for one day or two -- or as a virtual rider or volunteer!

Multiple sclerosis is a chronic, often disabling disease that attacks the central nervous system (CNS), which is made up of the brain, spinal cord, and optic nerves. Symptoms may be mild, such as numbness in the limbs, or severe, such as paralysis or loss of vision. The progress, severity and specific symptoms of MS are unpredictable and vary from one person to another. Today, new treatments and advances in research are giving hope to people affected by the disease.  Visit www.nationalmssociety.org for information about MS.