Help those with MS with tax check off

The state of Illinois is again offering taxpayers a unique and effective way to support charities as part of the state's 2007 Income Tax Check Off Program. Eleven charitable funds are included in this year's campaign, including the Multiple Sclerosis Direct Assistance Fund.

We are calling on the generosity of Illinois residents, asking them to join the movement against MS by designating a contribution to the Direct Assistance Fund when they file their state taxes.

It costs an estimated $50,000 each year to pay for the costly medications, medical equipment, therapy and other expenses associated with treating MS, a chronic, often disabling disease of the central nervous system. That cost can prove devastating even for the most financially stable families.

MS stops people from moving forward with their lives - physically, emotionally and, all too often, financially. The Multiple Sclerosis Direct Assistance Fund provides a lifeline for hundreds of people who need assistance paying the burdensome costs of the non-medicinal needs that accompany living with MS.

As we work toward a cure for MS in the future, the MS Society is committed to meeting the demand for services that offer hope to people living with the disease right now. When you file your taxes, make your mark against MS at Section 10, Line F and help create a world free of MS.

Linda M. Chott, President

National Multiple Sclerosis Society- Greater Illinois Chapter, Chicago