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Phil Wendel of Charlottesville, VA Receives Decade of Achievement in MS Award
Honoree Makes Extraordinary Contributions to the MS Community
Washington, D.C., January 23, 2004 – The Betaseron® Champions of Courage SM program announces that Phil Wendel, is one of the top 15 winners of The Decade of Achievement in MS Award. Phil and his fellow honorees were determined to have exhibited extraordinary dedication to the MS community within the last 10 years, and include people with MS, their friends and family, companies, and members of the MS medical community.
The award commemorates the 10th anniversary of the availability of Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals, Inc.’s Betaseron® (interferon beta-1b), and is sponsored by the Betaseron Champions of Courage, a program that supports people with MS who have inspiring goals, and who have made significant contributions to their families, community, or the lives of those affected by MS.
“Phil stood out for his outstanding contributions to the MS community,” said Eric Simons, chairman of the Betaseron Champions of Courage Advisory Board. “His ongoing contributions as a person who has dedicated himself to providing resources to people with MS deserve special recognition,” Simons added.
Phil’s Contributions
Phil Wendel is the founder and owner of the ACAC Fitness and Wellness Center in Charlottesville, Virginia. Phil founded ACAC in 1984 with the goal to “change lives through exercise”
Phil’s commitment to the MS Community began when his wellness center started offering a once a week, hour long aquatic fitness class as a joint effort between ACAC, Spectrum Therapy and the Blue Ridge Chapter of the NMMS Society. ACAC’s therapy pool, changing facilities, water equipment and instructors were used. A grant from the Christopher Reeve Paralysis Foundation allowed participants to attend free of charge and for ACAC to offer two classes per week.
According to Lisa Eorio, a person with MS who nominated Phil for the award, “People with MS who take advantage of the ACAC programs have seen improvements in both physical and emotional well-being.” Ms. Eorio received a grant from the Betaseron Champions of Courage to organize an exercise class for her community.
ACAC’s success in encouraging people with MS to exercise motivated Phil to increase the number of people ACAC could reach by continuing to encourage his staff to find grant funding for these programs so that they can be provided free of charge to participants.
Last spring ACAC expanded the current MS programming in Charlottesville to include individual assisted stretching appointments, and a 10-week Feldenkrais course, which helps people learn to move more comfortably and efficiently. ACAC also began an aquatic fitness program at a new ACAC facility in West Chester, PA and to fund the existing MS aquatic program at ACAC’s sister site (Maryland Athletic Club) in Timonium, MD.
“ACAC’s commitment and approach will hopefully serve as a model and catalyst for other organizations to do the same for people with MS in their communities,” Ms. Eorio said.
Award Specifics
The Betaseron Champions of Courage received more than 160 nominations for the award. All nominees received an award certificate, as well as a Decade of Achievement in MS Award t-shirt and a letter of congratulations from the Betaseron Champions of Courage Advisory Board. From these 160 nominations, 15 were chosen for an additional level of recognition.
The 15 top award winners received a plaque and a letter of congratulations from the Betaseron Champions of Courage Advisory Board. They also will have their story featured on the www.championsofcourage.org web site, and in other materials.
About the Betaseron Champions of Courage
Funded by a grant from Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals, Inc., the Betaseron Champions of Courage program provides grants to people who are coping successfully with MS and who have a project that will inspire others. Since the program was introduced in 1999, more than 30 individuals have received grants to underwrite motivating projects.
Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a disease that randomly attacks the brain and spinal cord, wearing away control over the body. Symptoms may range from numbness to paralysis and blindness. Though no cure yet exists, therapies are now available that affect the underlying disease course, as well as manage symptoms. MS affects more than a third of a million people in the U.S. alone, with someone being newly diagnosed virtually each hour.
For more information about applying for a Betaseron Champions of Courage grant or the Decade of Achievement in MS Award visit www.championsofcourage.org.
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Contact: |
Sheila Marmion
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