Neighbor News
Aurora Resident Mike Cordes Receives Volunteer Award at National Multiple Sclerosis Society Ceremony in Rosemont, Illinois
Excellence in Individual Fundraising Award recognizes efforts in Finish MS initiative
The National Multiple Sclerosis Society, Greater Illinois Chapter presented Mike Cordes with its Excellence in Individual Fundraising Award on Saturday, Oct. 18, during the annual Volunteer Recognition Awards Ceremony at the Hyatt Regency O’Hare in Rosemont, Illinois. The award was given in recognition of his fundraising achievements and leadership as part of the society’s Finish MS initiative.
For the past four years, Cordes, of Aurora, has joined a crowd of runners in Chicago’s Grant Park, the start of the Bank of America Chicago Marathon, with the intention of racing for one cause: multiple sclerosis. Each year, he runs a total of 26.2 miles through 29 Chicago neighborhoods on behalf of the National MS Society and his son, Neil Cordes, who was first diagnosed with MS at the age of 19. Consistently the Finish MS top fundraiser, Cordes has raised over $4,000 annually, totaling over $30,000 for the Finish MS program.
Cordes and his family first began volunteering with the National MS Society, Greater Illinois Chapter over five years ago after Neil — who was a sophomore at the time — was diagnosed with MS. After forming a team and participating in Bike MS for a number of years, Cordes approached the Chapter about incorporating the Bank of America Chicago Marathon into the Society’s Finish MS program. Since then, he has recruited many others to join the Chicago Marathon Finish MS team; he even recruited Neil’s doctor to run the marathon and fundraise on behalf of the MS Society.
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Multiple Sclerosis is an unpredictable, often disabling disease that interrupts the flow of information in the central nervous system, which includes the brain, spinal cord and optic nerve. The Greater Illinois Chapter mobilizes people and resources to drive research for a cure and to address the challenges of more than 20,000 individuals in Illinois and 2.3 million worldwide affected by MS.
For more information, visit MSillinois.org or call 1-800-344-4867.
