Well it’s that time of year, packed parking lots, crowded stores and long lines in a quest to find the perfect gift for that special person. If you’re like me it means internet shopping and going out late at night to avoid the crowds.

By shopping online you can eliminate the above issues, but can also choose items that will help those with multiple sclerosis. I’ve made it easier by putting a section called “Deals” in the left column that feature businesses, that when certain items are purchased proceeds from the sale go to groups that support those with MS. Below is a list highlighting some of the gifts you can give that will help in the fight against multiple sclerosis.

Art To Shirt – Now MS Tshirts features both tee shirts and mugs with artwork designed by artists with MS. A $4 donation to the MS Society is made with each item purchased. My favorite tee shirt image is by Karolina Wojdak and yes it’s on my Christmas list.

Grapesurfer – When I have a big meal like Thanksgiving, Christmas or New Years, I like to have a glass of wine with it. With Grapesurfer if you purchase some wine from them a donation is made to one of four local chapters of the National MS Society. The chapters include two from Virginia, one from Nebraska and the Gateway chapter from St. Louis.

Heart To Heart – Do you know someone that likes chocolate or nuts? This is your chance to make a difference. When you buy some goodies a donation is made to help those with MS.

MS Friends – For someone that is into rock and roll; you can help Rock MS. Among a few items they have is a limited edition sterling silver guitar pick inscribed with the authenticated signature of Jimi Hendrix authorized by the Jimi Hendrix Estate in partnership with MS Friends. MS Friends is offering the first 24/7 telephone helpline staffed with people who have MS.

Nancy Davis Foundation For Multiple Sclerosis – All funds raised are used to support the Center Without Walls program. This is a Collaboration of doctors and scientists that are on the cutting edge of MS research. The foundation’s website features all kinds of designer items including designs by Tommy Hilfiger who has a sister with multiple sclerosis.>ProFlowers – Give the gift of flowers and $10 of your order will support the National Multiple Sclerosis Society Pacific South Coast Chapter. This appears to be more for those in California but if you’re interested give them a call and see if you can work something out.

The Tack Stop – How about a teddy bear or rather a MS Bear Cowgirl or Cowboy for that child on your list. At just $5 and all the proceeds going to the Maine Chapter of the National MS Society, that’s a great deal.

Zazzle – Simply put all kinds of items MS branded including postage stamps. According to their website 25% of the sale goes to the Long Island Chapter of the National MS Society.

Okay that’s the current list of businesses that offer a portion of their proceeds to support those with MS. You can also do a search online yourself and maybe find more businesses that will help in the quest to find a cure. If you find a company not listed contact me so I can add them. Likewise business owners if you decide to join in the fight against MS let me know, I’ll be happy to list your company and offer at no charge.

It’s hard to believe that Thanksgiving is almost here. With it, are recipes that have been handed down from one generation to the next, dishes that are reserved for the holidays. As family and friends gather, it’s a great time to begin putting something together for MS awareness or maybe even to help with donations.

I think it was about a year ago I saw in the news where a Scottish MS Society, which had some talented members, had gotten together and had written a number of short stories. They put them together in an electronic book and made it available from the society’s website. They figured that they would get some responses from both Scotland and England; they were surprised when requests came from around the world.

Now I know that most people don’t consider themselves talented writers that could sit down and write a book; and I’m one of them. However there are some other ideas that could be done for little or nothing, that would make a difference in the fight against Multiple Sclerosis. What hobby or job are you an expert? If you’re a fly fisherman and you tie flies, why not write a blog about tying flies. Gardeners, share your knowledge of how you grow those giant tomatoes or pumpkins. For those that knit or sew, how about a blog to teach others.

As I sat down to start writing this post, I had the idea (somewhat taken from my Mom) of creating a family cookbook. A few years ago, Mom came up with a neat idea of creating a family cookbook. It might have been all of us calling for cooking information that gave her the idea; but she had recipes from her family and my dad’s family.  Also there were the recipes my brother and sister-in-law brought into the family.  There was the recipe for Aunt Shirley’s Turkey Mexicali, a great way to use up leftover turkey; I look forward to that as much as I do the main meal. A Thanksgiving and Christmas staple in my family, is Aunt Betty’s Tomato Pudding. Don’t say yuck unless you’ve tried it. But don’t have your cholesterol checked right after eating some either. Then there is my wife’s stuffed zucchini that’s fantastic. Yes, I’ll include a link to these recipes so you can try them.

There are several ways to accomplish your MS Awareness cookbook or guide. You can do like Mom did, by using a word processing software to write the recipes or articles, print them out, and put them in a binder that can be purchased through an office supply store. A better way, for what I’m proposing, would be to put it online using a blog or website. Both Blogger and Wordpress blog platforms are available at no cost. They are easy to use, even for a beginner.

You can put in a link to the National MS Society, their local chapter, or another organization you prefer. If you are someone with MS, you can make it more personal by putting a statement on the site about how Multiple Sclerosis affects your life. If you are putting the cookbook or guide together for someone that has MS, ask them to submit a statement that you can place on the site.

Write the recipe as a post or article. Consider making it easy for someone to use the recipes by saving them on your site as a PDF file. Then place a link on the post or article to the file. You can write the recipes in Microsoft Word, or another word processing software, and either get a program to convert them to PDF or find one online for free. Just use your favorite search engine; I like GoodSearch.com, because I can set it so they make donations to the MS Society.  Search for the term “convert word to pdf”.  By doing this, the recipes can then be easily emailed to others.

Though it is not required, you can make it easier for someone to get to your blog or website by buying a domain and mapping it to your blog. Don’t worry it’s easy to map a domain, and you can get help doing it. I recommend Go Daddy.com to purchase your domain; I feel they have the best price and great support. You can also get a domain at Wordpress.

Once you get your blog or website up, promote it. I’ve lost track of the number of times someone has told me they have a website, and nobody goes to it. They have to know about it, to go to it.

a)      If you are using a blog, which is what I recommend, go to www.PingoMatic.com and enter your blog’s information; it will cost you nothing but it will get your blog out there so it will be seen.

b)      On each recipe put your website’s URL. Such as “Find this and more recipes at example.com,” (dot) net, (dot) info or whatever extension that’s yours. Use a different color text so it stands out. You might also include a statement something like, ”Support Multiple Sclerosis Research, visit www.NationalMSSociety.org”.

c)       Include your domain as part of your email signature.

d)      Include your blog address on the outside of the envelope that you mail bills in, or anything else.

Make your blog make money for MS research by getting a free Adsense account from Google and placing it on your Blogger blog.  Note: Wordpress does not allow pay-per-click advertising at this time.

As you can see, this project can be put together for nothing, except a little time. Even if you want to get creative, you’re only out a few bucks (dollars). Several family members or friends can work on this, too, which makes it easier to get the blog up and makes it a lot more fun. Don’t forget to keep updating it with new recipes that your family has found, and loves to have. And remember, when someone needs a family recipe they can just go online. The best part is, you’ll be helping to create a world free of MS.

To get the recipes and see an example of what can be done click here.

When I started this website I had some ideas as to what I wanted it to be, and it has been evolving. One thing was to highlight those with MS that are doing something amazing, while bringing awareness to multiple sclerosis.

Wendy Booker is one such person, a champion for the cause. Diagnosed in 1998 with Multiple Sclerosis, suffering with some of the standard issues, numbness on the left side, balance problems and blurred vision, her resume speaks volumes on her determination.  She started by running the Boston Marathon, followed that by participating in the Chicago Marine Corp. and New York City Marathons, and those were just the beginning of what she set out to do.

In 2004 it took her a second attempt to top Mount McKinley in Alaska, the tallest mountain in North America. By performing that feat she became the first person with MS to conquer McKinley’s summit. Up until that point she had never climbed a mountain. Her path continued with Mount kilimanjaro in Africa (2005), Mount Elbrus in Russia (200^), Mount Aconcagua in Argentina (2007), Mount Vinson Massif in Antarctica (2008),and Mount Kosciusko in Australia (2008). In May of 2009 her first attempt at the world's tallest mountain Everest, fell short and with it she lost to Lori Schnieder who became the first person with MS to reach the top of the world. I won't be surprised if in the future I hear that she has reached the summit of Mount Everest. Below is a video that I found on Wendy; watch it and be inspired.