60 msfocusmagazine.org MS Focus Activities By Jenifer Marquart Jamie and Monroe Colvett are the leaders of the MS Shore Support Group in Delaware. They have been married 31 years, and July 4 was the 17th anniversary of Jamie’s diagnosis. Jamie has come a long way since then. “When I was diagnosed with MS I didn’t even really understand what it was.” Monroe has been by her side through it all. Jamie said she has the best partner in the world and could not have imagined the last 17 years without him. They have been part of the number one team at the National MS Society’s walk in Delaware. But this year, they decided to support MS Focus with a walk of their own. Q: What inspired you to hold an event? A: When we became leaders of our local support group, we felt an urgency to help people now! When we found out about the Foundation’s Emergency Assistance Grant, we wanted to help people as soon as possible. This disease is not only physically debilitating, it can also be emotionally and financially debilitating. If someonewith MS has a flare-up and has to miss a couple of days of work, that can affect their ability to keep their job, which can affect their ability to pay their bills, and it just can get worse from there. We felt that the Emergency Assistance Grant was the best and most immediate way that we could help those that were suffering by taking some of their worry away. Q: Why did you choose this type of event? A: We already had all the pieces in place. We were the number one walk team in Delaware so we had all of the participants and a lot of the relationships with donors and sponsors. It was a matter of building on what we had and making it our own. Q: What elements of the event were the most challenging? A: Getting everyone in the same place at the same time. When you run an event like this, there are a lot of variables. Most people take for granted that they can do a walk, but when you have participants that are suffering with MS, you have to make sure that there is a place for them to sit and rest, and where they can still be a part of the event if they are unable to fully participate. Things that seem simple, such as the weather, can affect if people actually participate or not. The most challenging part of the event is making sure that everyone has a good experience. We want people to come back year after year, and if they don’t have fun and they don’t feel like they are making a difference, they will not continue to participate. Giving Back