2 More Teens With The Right Stuff.

Jennifer Almquist now 19, puts it this way: "Rather than letting my mother's MS rule my life, I found a way to make a difference." She started volunteering at the Society's Oregon Chapter in her hometown of Portland. She "gladly stuffed envelopes and filled," but what she really wanted was to help young children with a parent who has MS.

"Basically, I wanted to help kids feel hopeful, not hopeless," Jennifer said.

In the spring of 1998 the Oregon Chapter challenged her, to come up with a children's newsletter, which was ultimately named (by the kids)

"Multiple Smiles." And "Moose Soup" is a column where the kids pose questions and Jennifer writes the answers. "The experience helps children gain the courage they need to begin broaching the subject of MS with their families," Jennifer said. "The fight against MS is a group effort, and anyone can make a difference."

Miriam Lee 

thinks the same thing. Now 18, she has been volunteering for the MS 150 Bike Tour at the Mid-Florida Chapter since she was 13. (That's how long ago her aunt was diagnosed with MS.) Unlike Ryan, Miriam doesn't cycle the 150 miles. Her father and uncle do that. She's one of the all-important volunteers who make the tour work--and there's a lot to do. Last year she took over her mom's position as Bike Tour Volunteer Coordinator and supervised more than 100 other volunteers for the big weekend--and she repeated her success by doing the same thing again this April! She says, "I have become a stronger leader from working with others." Now she's enlisted her younger sisters and many of her friends as Bike Tour volunteers, and her successes just keep rolling in.