5 msfocusmagazine.org Ellen Whipple has been a medicaladvisorwithMSFocus since 2002. She is a clinical pharmacist employed within medical affairs, as a director of medical communications, and a clinical assistant professor with the University of Georgia College of Pharmacy. Laura Kolaczkowski is lead patient representative and co-principal investigator for iConquerMS, and lives in Ohio with her husband of 45 years. She was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 2008, and does advocacy work primarily in MS research. She does public speaking on patient empowerment. Ben Thrower is the medical directorof theAndrewC. Carlos MSInstituteatShepherdCenter in Atlanta, and the senior medical advisor for MS Focus. He is also a clinical instructorof Neurology at Emory University and participates actively in clinical research. Dear MS Focus, I raised money for the Multiple Sclerosis Foundation. How will the money be spent? Brianna Roy Thank you for your support, Brianna. As a national service organization, the Foundation devotes the majority of its efforts to directly helping those affected by multiple sclerosis. In any given year, more than 70 percent of the organization’s expenditures are services for persons with MS. We value the trust our supporters place in us. We stringently follow established accounting standards and arrange for an annual independent audit by a CPA firm, under the guidance of our volunteer Board of Directors. We are proud of our record of sound decisions and responsible fiscal management. Accountability and transparency are vital to building trust with our supporters, so we make our financial information freely available in the About Us section of www.msfocus.org. Have Your Say We welcome your questions, suggestions, opinions and feedback. Reach us at editor@msfocus.org, call 800-225-6495, or use the contact form on www.msfocus.org. Program Services Fundraising Administation