Officials with the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, Upper Midwest Chapter, say the annual MS Auction at Atlantic’s Fireside Lounge, held Friday, March 6th, raised nearly $15,000 to support the organization, bringing the event’s 19-year fundraising total to more than $225,000. Over the last two decades, the funds have helped provide life-changing programs and services for people living with MS in Iowa and across the Upper Midwest, as well as fund cutting-edge research for the disease.

National MS Society, Upper Midwest Chapter President Holly Anderson says “We’re immensely grateful to Mark Foegen for his passion and leadership these past 19 years, not to mention the outstanding generosity of the Atlantic community. Events like these are truly helping to change the world for people with MS and end the disease forever.”

Event organizer Mark Foegen has expressed his appreciation to the Atlantic community for supporting the event, of which 100 percent of the proceeds are directed to the National MS Society, Upper Midwest Chapter. In addition to all those who attend and donate each year, many local businesses and individuals have played a critical role in the auction’s continued success — from donating advertising and auction items to helping with event planning and execution.

Multiple sclerosis, an unpredictable, often disabling disease of the central nervous system, interrupts the flow of information within the brain, and between the brain and body. Symptoms range from numbness and tingling to blindness and paralysis. Learn more at nationalMSsociety.org.