Making A Difference in Your Community : MS Society’s Neighborly Approach

Call it a benevolent sort of chain letter.

Even now, about 100,000 letters are heading to mailboxes throughout Los Angeles County asking for donations to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society.

But if you get one, it won’t be from some faceless representative of the society but from a face you may see almost every day--your neighbor’s.

“It’s a more personalized approach to fund-raising,” said Linda Baker, associate executive director for the society’s Southern California chapter.

As part of their third annual Address Your Neighbor fund-raising drive, the society has so far recruited 10,000 people who will send letters asking for donations to 10 of their neighbors. The society believes that such a personal touch may make potential donors more giving.

“It’s a wonderful kind of tool to gain more visibility,” said Baker, who started the campaign. She borrowed the idea from a strategy she learned at the American Heart Assn.

The campaign raised $165,000 last year.

The society supplies a form letter used by the neighbor to explain what the society does and why donations are needed. The neighbor can add a personal note and sign it before mailing.

Although the campaign is targeted for this month, volunteers can send letters after the month ends. “We are always looking at more volunteers,” Baker said.

Following the example of the Glendale-based chapter, other MS chapters across the nation are trying Address Your Neighbor campaigns this year for the first time.

Not only has the campaign broadened awareness of the disease and brought in extra funding, it has helped the society reach victims of the disease.

“What often happens is there are people out there who have MS and really don’t know what the MS society does,” Baker said.

Sometimes the letters happen to be received by people who were recently diagnosed with the disease or who have family members with it. With the support, the person can cope with the symptoms better.

The money raised will fund research projects and services to more than 6,000 people in Los Angeles County who have the disease. More than 300,000 Americans have multiple sclerosis.

A chronic disease of the nervous system, multiple sclerosis primarily strikes adults between the ages of 20 and 40. The disease gradually robs a person’s control over his or her bodily functions and presents emotional frustrations because of its unpredictability. Symptoms, which may come and go, include numbness, paralysis and blindness. For more information or to volunteer in the fund-raising campaign, call (818) 247-1175.

Other volunteering opportunities:

Valley Presbyterian Hospital needs volunteers to greet patients and family members, and to help patients get familiar with the room and surroundings. Volunteers would be part of a team in the nursing unit. For more information call Anne Fastiggi, volunteer director, at (818) 902-2932.

Children with chronic illness and disabilities need grandparent volunteers, ages 55 and older, for the Family Friends Project. Volunteers offer companionship, help with homework, and other needs. The next volunteer training is scheduled for Sunday through Wednesday of next week. For more information call Terry Shajirat at (818) 761-3447.

The 55 Alive/Mature Driving Program, a defensive driving course run by the American Assn. of Retired Persons, needs volunteer instructors. Volunteers get a mentor and receive preliminary training before they are approved. The minimum commitment is to teach three classes a year, but some can teach as many as two classes a week because of a high demand for instructors. The course teaches seniors safety tips geared toward their age. Volunteers need only be members of AARP. For more information, call Harold Muraoka, assistant state coordinator, (818) 886-7633.

Getting Involved is a weekly listing of volunteering opportunities. Please address prospective listings to Getting Involved, Los Angeles Times, 20000 Prairie St., Chatsworth 91311. Or fax them to (818) 772-3338.