In 2007 Neil was serving a term as Master Councilor of the Demolay and therefore had a part in deciding what charity their upcoming event would support.  “I chose MS because I have an Aunt and an Uncle that have been affected by the disease,” says Neil.  “I remember when I was young my Uncle had a cane to help him walk but now he can’t walk, is in a home, and can’t even speak, so I wanted to do something to help.” The event he organized was a murder mystery dinner with a silent and live auction.  The event took place at the Shrine Centre – a space which was donated to them by the Shriner’s.  Neil along with other fellow Demolay’s dressed up and acted out the murder mystery.  “It was a lot of fun and everyone really enjoyed it, we asked females from the Edmonton Jobies group to play out the female roles,” says Neil.  Close to 175 people attended the event. At the end of the evening combined proceeds from ticket sales and auction items came to $6700.  “My dad helped me out a lot in making sure we would raise money with the event but I didn’t expect it to be as much as it was,” says Neil.However, Neil didn’t stop there.  He proceeded to contact the Alberta Masonic Youth Foundation and the Alberta Parents Club.  Both of these associations were so impressed with his efforts that together they contributed an additional $3000.

“Sure organizing the event was stressful and it required a lot of hard work but I really wanted to make a difference so I put my mind to it and pulled it off,” says Neil.  Neil also added that “if I can do it then other people can jump on the bandwagon as well.”

Chad’s abilities include bike riding and being computer savvy.  He decided to combine these abilities by registering as a cyclist in the RONA MS Bike Tour – Leduc to Camrose, on June 7 and 8, and broadcasting his journey in the tour live via a webcam on www.msbiketourlive.com.  This is Chad’s first year riding in the tour and he has set a goal of raising $10,000 for multiple sclerosis.

Why MS?  “I haven’t been affected by MS personally, however it seems that in the last two to three years, the amount of press concerning MS has increased rapidly,” says Chad.  This spurred him to research the disease and in the process he learned that anyone can be affected by MS including young males like himself.  “I realize that multiple sclerosis is a very serious disease that affects millions of people world wide and I feel that MS needs more help in finding a cure,” says Chad.

Chad is hoping that his website will do the trick.  “I could easily raise $10,000 if I have enough publicity and traffic on my site and if enough people feel that their money is going to a good cause.  I think that by showing myself riding in the tour with 1700 other people – it will spur people to chip in $25 or more – it is possible,” says Chad.

With that enthusiasm Chad is contacting everyone he knows to tell them about what he is doing.  He is actively putting up posters around his community and in his school and contacting high trafficked websites to see if their will post a link to his site and mention his goal.  He has a lot of work ahead of him but is very excited for the challenge.  For more information on Chad’s project visit www.msbiketourlive.com