Photo: Sheena Roszell / EverythingGP

By Shane Clausing

burgers to beat ms day

Grande Prairie A&W’s hoping to lead way for Burgers to Beat MS Day

Aug 18, 2021 | 2:38 PM

A&W locations across Canada are taking part in the 13th annual Burgers to Beat MS (multiple sclerosis) Day on August 19.

The annual campaign will see participating A&W locations donate $2 from every Teen Burger sold Thursday to the MS Society of Canada.

Multiple sclerosis is a potentially disabling disease of the brain and spinal cord. It can lead to a wide range of potential symptoms, including problems with vision, arm or leg movement.

Carla Holton, a program coordinator with the MS Society of Canada, says days like this help the MS Society of Canada fund research needed to fight MS.

“MS is different for each and every person. The level of progression is different for each person, but it is an episodic disease,” explained Holton. “So, it can be one where you’re feeling great for a number of months, and then you have a relapse. So it can impact families in a powerful way.”

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“It’s really important, from the perspective of the MS Society, to keep up that important research on ways that people can live a better quality of life with MS, as well as research on how to find a cure for this disease,” she said.

While there hasn’t been a cure for MS yet, there have been treatments discovered over the last 25 years.

Holton tells EverythingGP it’s because of fundraisers like Burgers to Beat MS Day that has enabled them to get the funding to help find treatments to take on MS.

“We’ve made strides for sure. Twenty-five years ago, there wasn’t any modified drug therapies for MS. A lot of times, people were told to go home, take it easy, not to over-extenuate themselves, and now, there’s the exact opposite,” she said.

“There are modified drug therapies that can slow the progression, can cause less relapses for people, and they’re also telling people to exercise and find the perfect wellness program for themselves. Even though they may feel a little fatigued, that exercise can help in the slowing of the progression of MS.”

MS affects over 90,000 people across Canada, and Canada has one of the highest rates of MS infection in the world.

As for why Canada has one of the highest rates of MS in the world, Holton says there’s no direct answer as to why that is.

According to A&W Canada, the Grande Prairie A&W locations have ranked as one of A&W’s top fundraiser locations for this day since it began.

From 2013-19, Grande Prairie sold the most teen burgers on Burgers to Beat MS Day in Canada. In 2019, Grande Prairie raised $66,181 for the MS Society of Canada.

A&W says its goal is to raise $1.5 million for the MS Society across their stores in Canada this year. If they can fundraise $1.5 million for this year, the campaign’s total will be brought to more than $17 million raised in support of the MS Society over the last 13 years.

Holton mentioned that a majority of the action for Burgers to Beat MS Day will be happening at the west side A&W location.

“Grande Prairie knows how to bring it, and I know they’ll bring it August 19 for Burgers to Beat MS,” expressed Holton.

“People from Grande Prairie can come out, grab a teen burger, and we will be hosting the car show on the west location by Costco. For those who normally go to the north side location, please make sure you come to the west side location for those who want to see all of our vintage cars.”

Holton added that on August 19, it is also acceptable to have a teen burger for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.