Released on: July 15, 2008, 11:42 am

Press Release Author: Cindy Stranad

Industry: Non Profit

Press Release Summary: Former North Carolina Governor James B. Hunt, Jr. will be the
keynote speaker at the Eastern North Carolina Chapter of the National MS Society's
annual Dinner of Champions. The fundraising event will be held September 4 at the
Prestonwood Country Club in Cary.

Press Release Body: FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Former Governor Hunt to Speak at Dinner of Champions
Event Honors Health and Life Science Community

RALEIGH, N.C. (July 14, 2008) - The Eastern North Carolina Chapter of the National
Multiple Sclerosis Society announces today that former four-term N.C. Governor James
B. Hunt Jr. will be the keynote speaker at its annual Dinner of Champions. The
event, held September 4 at the Prestonwood Country Club in Cary, will celebrate the
positive contributions made by health and life science organizations.

"We are honored to have former Governor Hunt as our guest speaker," says Bob Bryan,
president of the Eastern North Carolina Chapter of the National Multiple Sclerosis
Society. "For more than 20 years, he has been an instrumental part in leading the
charge to bring the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries to the forefront of
North Carolina's economy."

In addition to celebrating organizations making positive contributions to health and
life sciences, proceeds from the Dinner of Champions will benefit the Access to
Health Care Fund-a fund set up to improve the access to health care for people
affected by multiple sclerosis in eastern North Carolina.

For more information, visit www.MSDinnerofChampions.org , or call 919-834-0678.

About James B. Hunt, Jr., Former Governor of North Carolina:
As governor for four historic terms, Governor Hunt has led North Carolina through
two decades of dramatic economic change. It was during his tenure as governor that
the state transitioned from an economy of primarily traditional industries toward
one that includes knowledge-driven industries such as biotechnology, pharmaceuticals
and information technology. Through this change, and in large measure because of
Hunt's leadership, North Carolina consistently ranked at the top of the nation in
economic growth, job creation and capital investment and was nationally recognized
for its top business climate. While in office, Hunt focused on new-economy
strategies by establishing the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics, the
Microelectronics Center of North Carolina, and the North Carolina Biotechnology
Center - all of which helped solidify North Carolina's reputation as the most
innovative state in the nation in information technology and biotechnology. Today,
Hunt is a member of the law firm Womble Carlyle Sandridge & Rice, PLLC and serves as
chairman of the James B. Hunt, Jr. Institute for Educational Leadership and Policy
in Chapel Hill.

About the National Multiple Sclerosis Society:
MS stops people from moving. The National MS Society exists to make sure it doesn't.
We help each person address the challenges of living with MS. Each year, through our
home office and 50-state network of chapters, we devote approximately $125 million
to programs and services that enhance more than one million lives to move us closer
to a world free of MS. In 2007, the Society invested more than $46 million to
support 440 research projects around the world. We are people who want to do
something about MS NOW. If you or someone you know has MS, please contact the
National MS Society today at www.nationalmssociety.org or 1-800 FIGHT MS to learn
about ways to help manage multiple sclerosis and about current research that may one
day reveal a cure.

About Multiple Sclerosis:
Multiple sclerosis interrupts the flow of information from the brain to the body and
stops people from moving. Every hour in the United States, someone is newly
diagnosed with MS, an unpredictable, often disabling disease of the central nervous
system. Symptoms range from numbness and tingling to blindness and paralysis. The
progress, severity and specific symptoms of MS in any one person cannot yet be
predicted but advances in research and treatment are moving us closer to a world
free of MS. Most people with MS are diagnosed between the ages of 20 and 50, with
more than twice as many women as men being diagnosed with the disease. MS affects
more than 400,000 people in the U.S. and 2.5 million worldwide.

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Web Site: http://www.nationalmssociety.org

Contact Details: Media Contact:
Cindy Stranad
919.232.5008
Cindy@articulon.com