For the 11th consecutive year beaches and Nocatee area residents rallied to support thousands of North Floridians impacted by multiple sclerosis.
Nearly 300 items valued at more than $40,000 were sold at the recent annual MS Awareness silent auction, driven by volunteers and hosted by Mr. Chubby's Wings in Ponte Vedra Beach.
The event, started by the local Bike MS Big Banana team in 2003, has now generated $225,000 to help provide programs and services for MS patients and their families. The volunteers also raise funds each December in Jacksonville Beach by giftwrapping holiday presents.
Since 2010, Big Bananas have raised more than $1.6 million and earned the Society's prestigious Circle of Distinction Award.
All the items sold at the auction were donated by hundreds of area restaurants, hotels, service providers and business owners.
"The local support and generosity surrounding this event is amazing and grows every year," said silent auction co-chair Bruce Reid. "The awareness created gets us that much closer to finding a cure and living in a world free of MS."
The MS Society's largest fundraiser, Bike MS PGA TOUR Cycle to the Shore, is scheduled for Oct. 7-8; it’s a one- or two-day multi-distance bicycle ride with more than 1,000 participants. Cyclists who pedal from Ponte Vedra Beach to Daytona Beach and back will raise more than $1 million.
For more information, go to www.bikeMS.org.
