Raising Funds to Help Those with MS Live Their Best Lives

Each year, BJC and its employees support dozens of causes, many of them near and dear to the heart for employees and their loved ones. Here is an example of that support.

For more than 20 years, BJC has supported the Multiple Sclerosis (MS) Society, sending teams of riders to participate in Bike MS (formerly called the MS 150). This year’s ride was earlier this fall in Godfrey, Illinois. 

BJC participants list many reasons why they ride — the camaraderie, the challenge, the support and encouragement along the route. But they all have a single purpose — to help those with MS. The money raised enables the National MS Society to fund research, advocate for change and help people with MS live their best lives.

“The MS ride is like no other event,” says participant Kathy Bretsch, BJC Campus Renewal communications consultant. “It’s a group effort that transcends personal accomplishment and touches the lives of the thousands of people affected by MS in our community.”

This year’s local event raised $1,654,624. BJC has raised more than $1 million since BJC teams began participating in the event.

The nearly 40 members of BJC’s Cannonball Express team raised $110,894 this year. 

About MS
Multiple sclerosis is an unpredictable, often disabling disease of the central nervous system that interrupts the flow of information within the brain, and between the brain and body. Millions of people are affected by MS and the challenges of living with its unpredictable symptoms, which range from numbness and tingling to blindness and paralysis. The progress, severity and specific symptoms of MS in any one person cannot yet be predicted, but advances in research and treatment are moving us closer to a world free of MS.