---------------------- Forwarded by Vince J Kaminski/HOU/ECT on 04/28/2000 
02:39 PM ---------------------------


messageCenter@ms150.org on 04/28/2000 12:09:22 PM
To: <webmaster@ms150.org>
cc:  
Subject: MS150 eNewsletter


Post-Tour eNewsletter


You did it! Another MS 150 has come and gone and we,ve already begun
preparing for next year. We were blessed with beautiful weather again this
year, although it was a little too warm on Sunday. On behalf of the Lone
Star Chapter of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, thank you for
supporting the 2000 ISUZU MS 150 presented by The Home Depot!

Also, thank you for all of your calls, letters, and emails about the bike
tour. We,re still receiving a lot of positive feedback from riders saying
that this was the best MS 150 ever. We know you,re anxious to hear some
results, so here,s the latest:

&#61623; 7,500 people registered (2,440 registered online at
www.ms150.org)
&#61623; Approximately 6,500 people actually rode (based on packets picked
up)
&#61623; Total online donations at www.ms150.org as of April 28 = $186,389
&#61623; Number of hits per day at www.ms150.org = 65,000 +
&#61623; We,re still collecting and processing pledges daily, so we don,t
know how much money we,ve raised yet. However, it looks like we,re well on
our way to raising $3 million, if not more! If so, this will be the first
time any MS bike tour has ever raised $3 million! Please help us by
getting all pledges turned in by May 19.
&#61623; We,re thankful and proud to announce that there were no serious
injuries on the Tour this year. Yes, we did transport one rider via
life-flight to Memorial Herman Hospital for precautionary measures, but he
was treated and released on Saturday evening and he was back in La Grange
by 9:00 p.m.! His brother rode the MS 150 as well, so he wanted to be
there for the finish. He suffered a broken rib and is reportedly doing
fine. All other riders were treated and released by Monday morning. Most
of the medical emergencies were heat related. As you know, it was very hot
on Sunday and people simply weren't staying hydrated.

There are so many people who make this ride happen ) most of which are
volunteers. We couldn,t do the ride without our wonderful volunteers so we
can,t say thank you enough. Over half the riders participate on a
corporate or social team and each has their own group of volunteers. We'd
like to thank each of you for everything you do; we know it's a lot of
hard work!

We,d also like to introduce and thank the rest of the staff of the Lone
Star Chapter of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. You may have seen
them on the route and/or at the Expo on Friday:

Julia Hollis (VP, Client & Clinical Programs) ) luggage & bikes
Michael Staley (Client Programs Manager) ) luggage
Janna Caswell (Client Programs Manager) ) MS info booth
Joyce Alexander (Office Manager & voice of the Lone Star Chapter) ) MS
info booth
Lisette Garza (Client & Clinical Programs Coordinator, San Antonio) ) MS
info booth
Melinda Lober (Director of Community Development) ) volunteer check-in
Ilene Norden (Development Coordinator) ) La Grange Headquarters
Kathryn Noser (Special Event Manager) ) Lunch in Bellville and Bastrop
Will Rub (Director of Special Events) ) Parking at Finish Line
Kim Suiter (Director of Client & Community Programs, Austin) ) Finish Line
Vance Townsend (Information Systems & Technology) ) Lunch in Bellville and
Bastrop
Pat Bertotti (Chapter President) ) VIP tent, PR, Start, and La Grange
Presentation
Larry Massey (Executive Vice President Operating Officer) ) Accounting

Behind the scenes, our accounting and data entry departments work
diligently through the day and night entering new registrations and all
pledges that we,ve received. All registrations and pledges must be entered
by the Wednesday after the Tour so that we can mail pledge summary letters
on Thursday. Thanks to Brenda Chmiel, Lee Cartwright, Andrea Leday, Miles
Simmons, and Trang Bui who make this happen!

By now you should have received your pledge summary letter in the mail.
This letter indicates how much money you pledged, how much we received as
of April 17, and how much you owe, if any. Use the enclosed self-addressed
envelope to mail any remaining checks (DO NOT MAIL CASH). Make sure you
put the rider,s name on all checks.

If you raised over $400, then you qualify for one or more fundraising
prizes, as indicated in the letter. Please make sure that you CIRCLE your
choice on the invoice and return it to our office by May 19. We,ll order
the prizes at the end of May, once we,ve tallied everything up. If you do
not wish to receive a prize, then please CIRCLE DONATE BACK and return the
letter with any pledge money you have collected.

Please join us on June 28 at City Streets on Richmond Avenue near the
Galleria for a post-Tour Awards Party from 5:00 to 8:00 p.m. where you can
pick up your prizes. No prizes will be available before the party, except
the 2000 Commemorative Jersey. If you are unable to make it to this party
and you earned a prize or an award, then please make arrangements to pick
it up in our office AFTER the Awards Party. Our office is located in the
Medical Center near the Astro Dome: 8111 N. Stadium Drive Houston TX
77054.

If you live in or near Austin, then please join us for the Austin Awards
Party on Thursday, June 22 from 5:00 to 8:00 p.m. at Dave & Buster,s. We,
ll have the same prize distribution, team and individual awards, and more
at the Party. If you are unable to attend, you can pick up your prize at
the National MS Society,s Austin office AFTER June 28. Please call ahead
to verify that your prize will be there. The Austin office is located at
1601 Rio Grande Suite 445. You can reach them by phone at 512/495-9904.

If you're turning in over $2,000 or have already done so, please stop by
our office to pick up your 2000 ISUZU MS 150 commemorative, sublimated
jersey. The jerseys will also be available at the Awards Parties. To
receive a jersey, you must turn in $2,000 or more.

Believe it or not, we,ve already begun preparing for next year. Some of
you may have received a survey with your pledge summary. If so, please
take a few moments to complete the survey and return it along with any
remaining checks using the enclosed envelope. Your comments and
suggestions are helpful to us as we make improvements for next year,s
Tour. If you didn,t receive a survey, we,re still interested in your
comments, so please feel free to drop us a line.

We're gearing up for the 2000 MS 150 Bike to the Beach, a two-day bike
tour from San Antonio to Corpus Christi on September 30 and October 1.
This year we're offering free bus transportation from Houston and Austin
to San Antonio to the first 50 people registered. Hurry, seats are
limited. After the first 50 people, bus transportation is available for a
nominal fee. Early bird registration forms are already out; you should
have received one in your "goodie bag." To get another copy, please
contact us at 713.526.8967.

Stay tuned for future emails and website updates. Thanks again for coming
out this year, whether as a veteran rider, a first-time rider, a
volunteer, a sponsor, or just an on-looker. We look forward to seeing you
in June at the Award Parties!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The National Multiple Sclerosis Society ( one thing people with MS can
count on.


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