After a local team achieved national acclaim in the National Multiple Sclerosis Society's (NMSS) annual MSWalk, Walt's Walkers have taken to the tees, fairways and greens with their mission: "Turn MS into Mystery Solved!"

The team's namesake, Walt Biernacki, is known for his sense of humor and zest for life. He was diagnosed with MS at 30 years old; 24 years later he's inspired the MSWalk team "Walt's Walkers" into regional and national headlines: ranking #1 in the NMSS Upstate New York Chapter, and #29th in the nation in MSWalk dollars raised.

As Walt, a lifelong resident of Orleans County, has navigated the challenges MS has brought into his own life, his sense of humor has brought encouragement and camaraderie to dozens of friends and extended family members as they have become affected by the disease. As he puts it, "Every day when I wake up and feel my feet hit the floor, I look up and say "Thank You." He remembers mornings when that didn't happen.

In 1993, two of Walt's friends decided to do something to counteract the sense of helplessness they felt during one of his attacks; they signed up to participate in the MSWalk in Rochester. The next year they asked a few more friends to join them and formed a team; since then, Walt's Walkers team members have raised over $77,000 for NMSS.

After the 1998 MSWalk, another friend and local golf course owner, Cindy Diehl, told Walt's Walkers she wanted to do more. That following summer, the first annual MS Charity Golf Tournament was kicked off at Hickory Ridge Golf and Country Club. The committee secured Sun Microsystems as their naming sponsor, recruited dozens of other sponsorships and donations, and sold out the tournament weeks in advance. After all the bills were paid, the committee presented a check for $10,400 to the National MS Society.

Diehl explains their early success in personal terms. "The sense of community we all share because people we love are struggling with a disease that has no known source or cure is what makes this effort magic." The disease has personally affected all the key people on the tournament committee. "When it comes down to someone you love, it makes perfect sense to pull together, do what you can, and try to keep a positive outlook," says Diehl.

With this personal commitment and optimism driving their committee, it's no mystery why their second tournament netted even more than the first, and expectations for the third annual Sun Microsystems MS Charity Golf Tournament are even higher.

This year's event will be held Monday, June 18 at Hickory Ridge Golf and Country Club in Holley. The committee predicts an early sell-out; early registration is suggested.

Diehl boasts about their good fortune in having a great committee, super volunteers, and two companies already pledging $2,500 for top sponsorship spots. She quickly follows that up with an invitation for smaller business, and non-golfers to be a part of this event, "our sponsorship opportunities begin at $25, or you can join us for dinner for $30, we have the best chef in the county!" Every dollar of profit goes to the National MS Society to someday turn MS into Mystery Solved.

For information, contact Susan Blomenberg or Walt Biernacki at 589-4390, bernack@eznet.net, or Cindy Diehl at 638-GOLF, http://hickoryridgegolfandcountryclub.com/

For more on the National MS Society, call 271-0801, 634-2261, or visit: www.nationalMSsociety.org