Contact: Jim Flanagan
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Press Release
LEXETTES SKATING TEAM RECOGNIZED FOR MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS FUNDRASING EFFORTS
Team Chaperone Inspires Skaters to Join the Fight To Free the World Of Multiple Sclerosis
Lexington, MA, – November 27, 2009 – The Hayden Synchronized Skating Teams announced that its Lexettes skating team was recently honored by the National Multiple Sclerosis Society - Central New England Chapter at the 2009 Shining Stars Awards and Reception. The Lexettes received the Outstanding Team Fundraising Award. A special award was also presented to Lexettes Head Coach Dede Wilson for Outstanding Individual Fundraising.
Melanie Greene, Kat Howland and Nina Brofsky attended the event to accept the award on behalf of the twenty-one skaters who make up the Lexettes. The Lexettes team competes in synchronized team skating under the auspices of U.S. Figure Skating. The team is the 2009 U.S. Bronze Medalists in the Junior Division. “The Lexettes were inspired to walk by our team chaperone and MS Shining Star Linda Gallagher,” said Melanie Green. “Linda is living with MS and faces every obstacle with perseverance and grace. We are so proud of her.”
The Mission of the Central New England Chapter of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society is to mobilize people and resources to drive research for a cure and to address the challenges of everyone affected by MS. Like so much of the MS community, the Central New England Chapter is a collective of passionate individuals who want to do something about MS now. The Lexettes participated in the MS LifeLines Walk in Gardner, MA during 2008 and 2009. As a result of their commitment, the team raised more than $5,000 for the MS Society.
Linda Gallagher, the Lexettes team chaperone was diagnosed with MS during the spring of 2007. Linda, a competitive figure skater herself, was a charter member of the Esprit de Corps Masters division synchronized skating team and captain of the team for five years. Her 2006-2007 competition season was cut short by her MS diagnosis. The diagnosis and complications seemed to mark the end of her competitive synchro skating career. However, she is surpassing all expectations and has joined the Esprit de Corps Open Adult team for the 2009-2010 competitive season.
“It was a humbling experience to attend the reception and meet the volunteers, fundraisers and medical professionals working to help create a world free of MS. We learned that MS afflicts 1 in 700 people in this country,” added Lexettes skater Kat Howland.
“MS is much more than a statistic to us” said skater Nina Brofsky. “It’s a person we know and cherish. Miss Linda loves skating and plans to be back on the ice this season. And we will all be cheering her on,”
For nearly 60 years, the Central New England Chapter has been providing help for today, and hope for tomorrow to nearly 16,000 individuals and families affected by multiple sclerosis in Vermont, New Hampshire and Massachusetts. To learn more or make donation, please visit www.msnewengland.org To learn more about the Lexettes please visit www.haydensynchroteams.com