Escondido CA— The Escondido Sunrise Rotary Club has announced that the National Multiple Sclerosis Society’s Pacific South Coast Chapter in San Diego will be the charity recipient for the 2016 Grape Day 5k, a fundraising fun run-walk-stroll event through historic Downtown Escondido, on Saturday morning, Oct. 1. Presenting sponsor of the 2016 Grape Day 5k is Berg Electric.
Runners and walkers of all ages and abilities are welcomed. Registration costs begin at $30 for youth age 17 and under and $45 for adults. A $10 discount on registration is available by entering the letters “MSVIP” in the promo code box. For more information, visit www.GrapeDay5K.com.
Proceeds from the Grape Day 5k will benefit not only the National Multiple Sclerosis Society South Coast Chapter, but also the Escondido Sunrise Rotary Club’s youth leadership programs and other club programs, including polio eradication and support to the YMCA and Boys and Girls Club. The club also supports a Wounded Warrior program, a Marine Battalion stationed in Iraq and matching grant programs in India, Turkey and Uganda.
This will be the sixth consecutive year the Escondido Sunrise Rotary Club has organized the Grape Day 5k as a kick-off to Escondido’s annual Grape Day celebration, a community-wide event that highlights the city’s history, especially the 19th Century when the region was covered with thousands of acres of vineyards.
The 5k will begin and end at 150 North Centre City Parkway, near the intersection of West Grand Avenue and South Orange Street, Escondido. Day of event registration begins at 6:30 a.m., and the race starts at 7:30 a.m. More than 800 runners and walkers are expected to participate. Participants will receive a commemorative medal, moisture-wicking sport shirt and other items.
This will be the third consecutive year for the National MS Society’s selection as the benefitting charity. Escondido Sunrise Rotary Club officials said about $18,000 was raised in 2015 to benefit MS research and program and services for people with MS, 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.
“The Escondido Sunrise Rotary is proud to support the National Multiple Sclerosis Society South Coast Chapter and our community,” said Jim Ponder, Grape Day 5K chairman. “We are especially grateful to Berg Electric for their support. We encourage people of every age and ability to join the fun and support these great causes.”
Established in 1980, the Escondido Sunrise Rotary Club is dedicated to the Rotarian values of “service above self” and “world peace and understanding.” The club consistently ranks among the top Rotary Clubs in San Diego and Imperial counties in per capita giving. For more information about the Escondido Sunrise Rotary Club, visit www.EscondidoSunriseRotary.org.
The National Multiple Sclerosis Society’s San Diego-based Pacific South Coast Chapter serves more than 51,500 people affected by MS living in San Diego, Orange and Imperial counties, as well as the Hawaiian islands. MS, the most common neurological disease leading to disability in young adults, is typically diagnosed between the ages of 20 and 50, although an estimated 8,000-to-10,000 children under the age of 18 also live with MS. Two to three times more women than men have been diagnosed with MS. An estimated 2.3 million people live with MS worldwide.
MS symptoms can range from numbness and tingling to blindness and paralysis, as well as blurred vision, loss of balance, poor coordination, slurred speech, tremors, numbness, extreme fatigue and cognitive deficits. Symptoms might be permanent, or they might come and go. By eating away at the coating that allows nerve cells to transmit messages, MS can lead to restrictive or awkward movements and mental gaps, among other problems. Studies indicate that genetic factors may make certain individuals more susceptible to the disease, but there is no evidence that MS is directly inherited. For more information about the National MS Society’s Pacific South Coast Chapter, visit www.MSPacific.org.