Hundreds of volunteers and cyclists make stop at Thiel College as part of Bike MS event

Posted June 08, 2022 Print

GREENVILLE, Pa.-- Event organizers said about 325 cyclists and volunteers spent the night at Thiel College on Saturday as part of Bike MS’s two-day Escape to the Lake charity ride to raise money for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society.

The ride started in Portersville, Pa. with the first leg stopping at Thiel College for the night.

“Thiel has been great, and Greenville is a wonderful location,” co-organizer Chris Pfeiffer told the Greenville Record-Argus.

Pfeifer said this was the first time Thiel had hosted the event in 25 years. He said the event’s fundraising goal is $450,000, and they are at $425,000 and on pace to top their goal.

According to the MS Society, multiple sclerosis is a disease that impacts the brain and spinal cord which make up the central nervous system. While the exact cause of MS is unknown, what is known is that something triggers the immune system to attack the brain and spinal cord. The resulting damage to myelin, the protective layer insulating wire-like nerve fibers, disrupts signals to and from the brain. This interruption of communication signals causes unpredictable symptoms such as numbness, tingling, mood changes, memory problems, pain, fatigue, blindness and/or paralysis. Losses due to MS can be temporary or long-lasting.