MS Foundation Asks Public to Help Grant 30 More Wishes for Its 30th Anniversary

The Multiple Sclerosis (MS) Foundation wants to mark its 30^th anniversary by granting 30 more wishes to MS patients in need this year through its Brighter Tomorrow Grant program.

To do this, the organization is asking the public to help it raise $30,000 before Dec. 1, so it can increase by 30 the usual 100 grants it gives annually to people with multiple sclerosis, with the  opportunity to customize the grant according to their personal needs. This means a grant, valued at about $1,000, could be used to buy a refrigerator or a guitar, or reclining easel for a bed-bound artist, as has happened in previous years. Each grant given aims to improve a patient’s “quality of life by enhancing safety, self-sufficiency, comfort, or well-being,” the Foundation said.

“We fixed someone’s well one year. They hadn’t had water for a while,” Vicki Knobel, cyclical programs manager at the MS Foundation, said in a press release.

Whether wishes are out of the ordinary or for an everyday necessity, all grants are meant to fulfill pressing needs.

A prime example, according to the Foundation, is the wish granted Jordan Cleveland, a teenager with MS who disease had progressed to the point where he lost the ability to speak. He was able to communicate solely with the help of an iPad, given to him by his high school, but Jordan had to return the device upon his graduation, leaving him without a way to communicate with his family and friends. The MS Foundation granted his wish last year, giving him a third-generation iPad. Jordan uses it to “talk” through an app: he types what he wants to say and the app gives voice to his written word. His iPad is bound to his wheelchair, so Jordan can also use it to take photos. His mother says the gift was life-changing for him.

MS patients or parents of a child with MS can apply for grants can apply for a Brighter Tomorrow Grant. Proof of financial need will be required, as is U.S. residency. Anyone interested in applying, or in learning more about these grants, can follow this link to its MS Foundation webpage.

The MS Foundation is asking the public to help it reach its goal of granting an additional 30 wishes this year. Those wishing to help can call 888-MS-FOCUS (888-673-6287).