Walk MS fundraiser goes virtual to fight multiple sclerosis during coronavirus outbreak

Commit yourself to making a difference on Saturday, April 18, by joining fellow community members virtually in the battle against multiple sclerosis (MS), “an unpredictable, often disabling disease of the central nervous system that disrupts the flow of information within the brain, and between the brain and body.”

Walk MS, originally scheduled to be held at Julius M. Kleiner Memorial Park in Meridian, is going virtual due to the coronavirus pandemic.

We can’t come together as a community in person, but that doesn’t mean we can’t make a difference individually.

So throw on your orange on April 18 (or whenever it’s convenient, really) and celebrate your way, whether it’s on a treadmill at home or by getting some fresh air on a walk with your dog.

Share your photos and more on social media by using #virtualwalkMS, and challenge your friends and family to join you (small groups, remember).

Funds raised during this virtual experience will still benefit the National MS Society and its mission to fund “cutting-edge research, drive change through advocacy, facilitate professional education, and provide programs and services that help people with MS and their families move their lives forward.”

For more information, including the online fundraising center, go to walkms.org.

Of course, the MS Beer Fest that would normally follow the MS Walk has been canceled, but bottoms up, because we can still drink beer. Just take a picture of you enjoying a local beer on April 18 from one of the participating breweries — Boise Brewing, Mad Swede Brewing, Sawtooth Brewery, Sockeye Brewing to name a few — and then share it on social media with the hashtag #MSBeerFest, and you’ll be entered to win a free admission package to next year’s MS Beer Fest.

You can even join and/or donate to the (virtual) Walk MS Team “MS Beer Fest” at main.nationalmssociety.org/goto/MSBeerFest to support the National MS Society.

For more information, including a full list of participating breweries, visit the event’s Facebook page.

And check out the discussion thread for a post that provides links to what local stores carry the beer and what breweries offer online takeout and/or delivery.