MS Focus Activities Giving Back: Defeat the Beast Q:What inspiredyou to help peoplewith MS? A: Itwas all formyhusband. Hewas diagnosed five years ago. We were friends at the time. I stayed with him in the hospital the night after he was diagnosed. We moved forward in our relationship. We ended up getting married. We have two kids and a baby. Q: What inspired you to hold an event? A: We realized a lot of our friends didn’t know what MS is and had misconceptions. Only some of our friends knew about MS, and I wanted to change that and create awareness. My husband’s health is starting to deteriorate. He hasn’t been able to drive his racecar. I wanted to spread awareness to show that he’s not broken and he can still do some things. Q: How did you reach out to the people involved? A: I know the car clubs and I got on the phone and called them.All the different car clubs and racing groups came together. They brought booths with merchandise and more vendors and car-oriented small businesses. I worked with an event planner that specializes in car shows called Black Listed Society. I emceed the show. We worked with 15 volunteers: people 34 msfocusmagazine.org Jessica Poteet organized Defeat the Beast Benefit Car Show in St. Louis. The event was free to the general public and the venue was packed. The showincluded competitions such as classic cars, low-carlimbo, and two-step, where drivers rev their engines. Jessica was motivated to create this event because her husband, Benjamin, has MS. Both in their twenties, they share a love of cars. He is a certified diesel mechanic and she has been a car enthusiast since she was a child. To make the event a success, Jessica reached out to multiple car clubs, vendors, and friends. This was Jessica’s first fundraiser and she raised $1,200 in only five hours. We spoke with Jessica about how she planned the event and challenges she faced.