AUBURN – The Maine Chapter of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society will hold its annual meeting at 5:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 29, to celebrate the end of its 2007 fiscal year at the Hilton Garden Inn Auburn Riverwatch.

The meeting is held each year to elect the board of trustees and to honor volunteers and fundraisers who play a role in the chapter’s mission to end the effects of multiple sclerosis.

“We look forward to sharing the highlights of a very successful year and recognizing the contributions of some key volunteers and supporters,” said Maine Chapter President Russell Anderson.

Speaker will be Dr. Ellen Lathi, director of the Multiple Sclerosis Center at Caritas St. Elizabeth’s Medical Center in Boston, Mass. Lathi is a speaker on treatment issues and wellness in MS. She was recognized as one of Boston Magazine’s “Best Doctors” in 2005-2006, and she received the Physician Health Care Professional Volunteer Award from the Central New England Chapter of the National MS Society in 2006.

After the keynote address and awards presentations, the Matt Fogg Trio, a local jazz band, will perform.

“MS can be an isolating disease. At this year’s annual meeting, we hope to provide an opportunity for members to connect with one another and break the barrier of isolation that MS can create,” said Heidi Eastman, program coordinator at the chapter. “We want people to network and socialize so that they will look back on this meeting and remember all the other people with MS who are together in the fight against this disease.”

The Maine Chapter serves approximately 3,000 families who are affected by MS. It is nearly one in every 400 Maine residents who have MS, one of the highest per capita rates in the nation.

For more information, visit nationalmssociety.org or call 1-800-FIGHT-MS.