Theta Xi Fraternity is the new sponsor for this year’s Carbondale MS Walk, benefiting the National Multiple Sclerosis Society.

About a month ago, Scott McBride, local MS Walk chairman and Theta Xi fraternity member, decided to sponsor this year’s walk because no one in Carbondale had been named the sponsor.

We felt that there was something more we could do, he said. It is really good for the community, and there are a lot of people who will benefit from the walk.

Theta Xi Fraternity members will be collecting donations for the walk from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday at Wal-Mart, 550 E. Industrial Park Road in Murphysboro.

As sponsors for the walk, the fraternity is responsible for raising money, organizing the route and getting volunteers involved.

Theta Xi’s philanthropy is the National Multiple Sclerosis Society and the group had participated in the walk in the past. But this is the first year the fraternity has sponsored the walk.

Kerrie Knoll, special events assistant for National Multiple Sclerosis Society, said this is the only time a student organization has sponsored the walk.

Knoll hopes having a student organization sponsor the walk more students will get involved and want to participate.

We are really excited about it, she said. It adds a nice twist to the walk and gets more students to help out.

Knoll said that when being a sponsor for the walk, it is important to be known in the community to ensure better success in the walk.

The Carbondale MS Walk will start at 2 p.m. April 18 at Turley Park. Donations will be collected before the walk, and refreshments will be provided after the walk. The walk will be about four miles long, but the route has not be set yet.

So far, the group has collected more than $650 toward their goal of $2,000 just from donations gained by the fraternity.

McBride said he would like to collect a total of $10,000 for the cause.

Last year, the walk raised $4,100, and more than 100 people participated.

The money raised for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society will be used for research, programs and services for people with multiple sclerosis. Sixty percent of the money raise is then used locally, and the rest will be used nationally. In 1998, the National Multiple Sclerosis Society raised $325,000.

Knoll said Theta Xi has been extremely enthusiastic about the walk and doing what they can to support the National Multiple Sclerosis Society.

McBride said coordinating the walk has been very exciting and looks forward to the walk and its achievements.

I’m just totally ecstatic, he said. It’s an accomplishment that I could have never imagined.