Zuckerman Spaeder LLP Employees Team Up to Raise Funds for Multiple Sclerosis

CONTACT: ABRA FRANKEL
(202) 296-5363
afrankel@MSandYOU.org

Zuckerman Spaeder LLP employees are leaving the office for the open road and an important cause — helping the approximately 6,000 Washington, DC, metropolitan area residents living with multiple sclerosis. Co-workers are teaming up to participate in the 16th Annual MS Walk on Saturday, April 17 or Sunday, April 18, 2004. They will walk in honor of Joseph Harztler, lead prosecutor in the case against Timothy McVeigh for bombing the Oklahoma City federal building and currently an Assistant United States Attorney in Springfield, Illinois. Mr. Hartzler was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 1988 and is a top fund-raiser for the Springfield MS Walk.

Zuckerman Spaeder partner Aitan Goelman worked closely with Mr. Hartzler when both men were members of the Oklahoma City prosecution team. He walked in the 1996 MS Walk in Springfield, Illinois with Mr. Hartzler's MS Walk team, Team Hartzler. Since then, he has walked all over the country in MS Walks. This year he decided to step up his involvement by recruiting his co-workers to come out for the cause and walk as Team Hartzler East.

"I do the walk because I want to do something tangible to support Joe, who is one of the people I admire most in the world," said Mr. Goelman. "I'm also proud that my efforts contribute something to helping folks with MS in my community." Over time, Mr. Goelman's commitment to the cause has increased. "Since I began supporting the National MS Society eight years ago, a childhood friend of mine and a cousin have been diagnosed with the disease, so I know that it can strike anyone at any time."

Mr. Goelman's co-workers have rallied around him, with team members walking at one of five local MS Walk sites over the weekend of April 17 and 18. Nationally, the MS Walk takes place in over 700 cities annually, and is projected to raise over $40 million in 2004. Proceeds from the MS Walk support national research and initiatives, and local programs and services. Zuckerman Spaeder LLP has agreed to match the funds raised by the team. In combination with the match, the team is hoping to raise $10,000.

Multiple Sclerosis is a lifelong disease of the central nervous system. It causes unpredictable symptoms, ranging from weakness to total paralysis, that come and go without warning or pattern. Thanks to significant advances in research, the FDA has approved several treatments that may alter the underlying disease course of multiple sclerosis. People with MS should consult their doctors about using one of the FDA-approved medications and other effective treatments for the symptoms of MS.

Locally, the National Capital Chapter of the National MS Society provides a wide range of vital services in the areas of counseling, education, employment, information and referral, public policy development and advocacy, and financial assistance to people with MS and their families. The Chapter serves people in Washington, DC, in Montgomery and Prince George's Counties in Maryland, and in Alexandria, Arlington, Fauquier, Fairfax, Loudoun and Prince William Counties in Virginia.

For more information about multiple sclerosis, the MS Walk, or forming a corporate team, contact the National Capital Chapter at (202) 296-5363 or visit www.MSandYOU.org.