Spring Into Action for MS
The Spring Market will be held Saturday, April 28, 2012 at Mingo Valley Christian School from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., with all proceeds benefitting the National MS Society, Oklahoma.
By: Sheryl Sowell | Category: Special Interest | Issue: April 2012
Laurie Dwyer and her daughter Amy invite you to the Spring Market to support the National MS Society.
In conjunction with the 25th annual Walk MS: Tulsa, to be held Saturday, April 21 at Tulsa’s Veterans Park, a member of one of the MS walking teams has created the inaugural Spring Market on April 28. Laurie Dwyer, co-captain of Team M.O.M. – Moms on the Move, has been involved with the National MS Society for several years, and had a desire to become further involved in helping the organization and the thousands of local people who suffer from multiple sclerosis. Laurie’s daughter Amy was diagnosed with MS in 2008 at age 16.
“We became involved with the National MS Society when Amy was diagnosed, and they have been such a blessing in our lives. We are so grateful for everything they have done for our family, and we wanted to do something big to give back,” says Laurie.
Laurie and Patti Barker co-founded Team M.O.M. four years ago and have participated in the Walk MS: Tulsa every year since. Their goal this year is to raise $5,000. “We also want to create connections within the community,” says Laurie. “The theme of this year’s MS Awareness Week was ‘MS Kills Connections – Our Connections Can Kill MS,’ and the idea of a spring market connecting a community goes along with the theme perfectly.”
Laurie explains that this is the first time she’s ever organized an event of this kind, and she has been pleasantly overwhelmed by the support offered from the community. She contacted Mingo Valley, where Amy attended school for 11 years, and the school went above and beyond to help. “Mingo Valley Christian School donated their facility without charge, and the junior class is hosting concessions for the event,” says Laurie.
A diverse variety of items will be available for purchase. The 35 vendors include jewelry, photography services, books, home décor and wares (such as microfiber sheets), cosmetics, baby items, Tupperware, Scentsy candles, apparel and more. “The inspiration for the Spring Market was an event like Mayfest, where you find a lot of different items,” says Laurie. “The majority of the vendors will be selling unique, handmade items; for example, we have one who will sell her beautiful homemade quilts, and another who will have his amazing metal artworks.” Door prizes will also be given away throughout the day.
Concessions will be available for both breakfast and lunch. The junior class is volunteering their time to serve up breakfast burritos, donuts, coffee and bottled water in the morning, and taco salads, ultimate nachos, ham and cheese wraps, fruit, chips, cookies, candy, and drinks in the afternoon.
All proceeds from the Spring Market will benefit the National MS Society, Oklahoma.
Laurie is thankful to be able to give back to the National MS Society through the Spring Market, as the organization has helped her daughter in so many ways. Amy is currently attending OSU with a double major in speech pathology and audiology, and she hopes to work at a veterans’ hospital after graduation next May. She is also planning her wedding to her fiancé, Caleb, in November. For everyone who has the pleasure of meeting Amy, it is clear she is a remarkable young woman who is thriving in spite of having this disease.
MS is an unpredictable, often disabling disease of the central nervous system, which interrupts the flow of information within the brain and between the brain and body. Symptoms range from numbness and tingling to blindness and paralysis. Advances in research and treatment are moving us closer to a world free of MS. If you’d like to participate in Walk MS: Tulsa, find out more at www.walkMSok.org.
Team M.O.M.’s Spring Market benefitting the National MS Society, Oklahoma will be held Saturday, April 28 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Mingo Valley Christian School, located at 8720 E. 61st St. in Tulsa. Call Laurie Dwyer at (918) 693-6447 for more information.
For more information, contact
Team M.O.M.
(918) 693-6447
www.walkMSok.org 
About Author Sheryl Sowell
Sheryl Sowell was born and raised in Tulsa, OK. She graduated from Will Rogers High School and received her Bachelor of Arts in English from Northeastern State University in 2007. She has worked for Value News as editor, writer and advertising copywriter since 2008. She enjoys meeting and interviewing people for Value News articles, learning about their backgrounds, and helping to promote their businesses and local events. In her free time, she enjoys reading, trying new recipes and crafts from Pinterest, attending concerts and sporting events, and spending time with family and friends. Sheryl lives in Tulsa with her fiancé Paul, their daughter Scarlett, and their two dogs, Gunner and Boo.
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