The Eastern North Carolina Chapter of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society is excited to offer Triangle business owners a wide menu of corporate sponsorships for the 2009 Women Against MS Leadership Luncheon.

For the past four years, the luncheon has attracted the Triangle's top community leaders for an afternoon of awareness and fundraising. The vision of WAMS is to bring together a strong body of women to fight a disease that primarily impacts women. The annual luncheon raises critical funds to support related research, education and programs.

"Becoming a sponsor for the annual Woman Against MS Luncheon was an easy decision for us to make," says Marirose Steigerwald, Elinvar vice president. "First, MS is a cruel disease that strikes an inordinate number of women—and often in the prime of their lives. Second, the National MS Society does great work and is diligently focused on funding research and treatment to find a cure. And third, this luncheon is an exceptional event—one of the best I've attended in the Triangle. We often ask "what can we do?"—this is an easy answer—this annual event combines helping this wonderful organization and its noble cause with the chance to network with local women leaders and meet phenomenal people like Wendy Booker. The conclusion was simple."

Individuals and businesses can chose from four levels of table sponsorships. Champion, Patron, Hope and Move sponsors all receive preferred seating along with a host of marketing benefits.

The event begins with a networking reception at 11am to give participants the opportunity to connect with fellow professionals and philanthropists. The luncheon, from 12-1:30 p.m., will feature Wendy Booker as keynote speaker. Wendy lives with multiple sclerosis and is on a mission to climb the highest mountain on each of the seven continents. She is currently training to summit Mt. Everest, her only remaining mountain.

Join this movement to create a world free of MS by becoming an event sponsor or table captain today. To learn more about sponsorship opportunities or to purchase tickets, please visit www.nationalMSsociety.org/nct or call 919-792-1002.

About Multiple Sclerosis:

Multiple sclerosis interrupts the flow of information from the brain to the body and stops people from moving. Every hour in the United States, someone is newly diagnosed with MS, an unpredictable, often disabling disease of the central nervous system. Symptoms 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. Most people with MS are diagnosed between the ages of 20 and 50, with more than twice as many women as men being diagnosed with the disease. MS affects more than 400,000 people in the U.S. and 2.5 million worldwide.

About the National Multiple Sclerosis Society:

MS stops people from moving. The National MS Society exists to make sure it doesn't. The Eastern North Carolina Chapter, located in Raleigh, serves the over 4,900 individuals affected by MS in our 49-county area. We help each person address the challenges of living with MS. In 2008 alone, the Society devoted over $136 million to programs that enhanced more than one million lives. The Society also invested nearly $50 million to support 440 research projects around the world. We are people who want to do something about MS NOW. If you or someone you know has MS, please contact the National MS Society today at www.nationalMSsociety.org/nct or 1-800 FIGHT MS to learn about ways to help manage multiple sclerosis and about current research that may one day reveal a cure.

About Elinvar:

Elinvar has over two decades of experience providing top talent for executive and mid-level management positions. Their experience has taught them the importance of leadership presence, a collaborative corporate environment and alignment of objectives to produce great business results. Now in their third decade of business, Elinvar's services go beyond those of traditional search and include leadership development, organization enhancement and executive coaching services. This integrated talent management solution supports the Elinvar vision of having a positive impact on the individuals in their community by helping their client organizations be the best employers in the Triangle.

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Related Links

1. http://www.nationalmssociety.org/chapters/NCT/index.aspx