LEWISTON – The Androscoggin County Multiple Sclerosis Committee has announced that it is time for the Manpower Multiple Sclerosis Walk in celebration of Multiple Sclerosis Awareness Week.

The walk will be held on Saturday, April 28. Registration will begin at 8 a.m. and the walk will start at 9 a.m. at Lewiston High School. It will include raffle items donated from local merchants, a 50/50 drawing, cookbooks and other items available to purchase. Food and drinks will be available free to those who participate in the walk.

Multiple Sclerosis affects the central nervous system and has no known cause or cure. The walk is the main source of fundraising for the society, and funds raised help support research efforts to find a cause and cure for the neurological disease.

Because no two patients are affected the same, diagnosis and treatment are often difficult. In Maine, there are more than 3,000 families affected by MS, with more than 300 families living in Androscoggin County.

The five-mile course will begin at the Lewiston High School gym entrance and will cover the Bates College area. Rest stops, which have been sponsored by local merchants, will be available along the course. Shorter routes are also available.

Last year the walk had more than 350 participants and helped raise more than $45,000 in Androscoggin County. Through the 11 statewide walks, participants raised $400,000 for MS research.

People can be a part of the walk in a variety of ways: walk, create a team, donate items for the raffle, volunteer the day of the walk, go to the walk to show support. Anyone interested in walking or volunteering is asked to contact Walk Committee Co-Chairman Mike Roy at 524-2749 or committee member Marcia Humason Akers at 998-4944 or visit www.msmaine.org.