his own backyard. Dylan first
learned about MS when his
swimming teacher at school
talked with the students about
her diagnosis. Then, last year, MS
hit home: Dylan’s dad, Marcos,
was diagnosed with the disease.
“I was just a kid,” Dylan
wrote in a school essay. “I felt
powerless.”
But Dylan started talking to
his mom about what they could
do to raise money. When they
settled on a Halloween party, they
decided not to charge an entry fee.
Instead, they planned a raffle.
“We called local businesses
and collected donations and
prizes,” Dylan said. “People
donated Disney tickets, tickets
for movies, even the DJ donated
his time. Then, my mom and
I wrote a letter about how MS
affects people and why we were
having the party and attached the
letter to the invitations. I stood
outside classrooms handing them
out after school.”
Getting help from the Society
“People putting on community
events use our ‘I’ve joined the
movement’ logo to help promote
what they’re doing,” said Pamela
Thompson, vice president of
Development for the Southern
California Chapter. “If they con-
tact us first, we can discuss ways
to help generate more interest.”
The night of Dylan’s party,
the first thing guests saw was a
huge orange sign on his lawn
proclaiming “We joined the
movement.” The backyard was
decorated like a spooky cemetery—many of the decorations
had been donated for the night
by friends. Dylan’s classmates and
neighborhood buddies feasted
on hot dogs, hamburgers and
hundreds of homemade orange
candy corn-sprinkled cupcakes.
The next day, Dylan’s nine-year-old brother, Christian, set
up a stand to sell the leftover hot
dogs. Dylan’s goal had been to
raise $1,000—with the raffle and
the hot dog stand, he exceeded it
by nearly $100.
Creating a tribute
After college, Jeremiah Juso
moved from city to city for his
job with Abercrombie and Fitch,
but three years ago he made his
home in Ohio, where Abercrombie’s headquarters are based.
“I fell in love with the com-
munity, especially an artists’ area
called Shorth North,” Jeremiah
said. “I’d finally found a home.”
One of Jeremiah’s new friends,
Michelle, has MS. Another, Aaron
Kithcart, had just lost his father,
Keith Erle Kithcart, who had lived
with advanced MS for 25 years.
“One day I saw a painting I
really liked on the wall of a restaurant in my neighborhood and
got the idea of an art auction for
MS. I wanted the money to go
to the Keith Erle Kithcart Fund,”
Jeremiah explained. “I wanted
to let Aaron know we hadn’t
forgotten about his dad and that
we were still there for him. The
Society’s Ohio Buckeye Chapter
helped me set up the fund.”
Welcome to Dylan’s Halloween party
Jeremiah reached out to
members of his community to
pull all of the pieces together.
Basil, his favorite Thai restaurant,
agreed to donate their space and
food, so long as there was a cash
bar. Artists whose work Jeremiah
liked contributed their work,
with 50% of the proceeds from
the auction going to the Society’s
newly established Keith Kithcart
Memorial Fund.
His friend Michelle designed
an invitation poster on her
computer, then they posted the
event on Facebook and e-mailed
friends who in turn e-mailed
other friends. The event was also
posted on the chapter’s Web site.
“So many people wanted to
help,” Jeremiah said. “The local
artists made money and more
than $4,000 went to the Keith
Kithcart Memorial Fund. And
everyone had a great time.” n
Patricia Wadsley is a frequent
contributor to Momentum.
Got an idea for your
own MS fundraising
event? Call us at 1-800-
344-4867 to get started.
