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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wallingford Resident Named 2006 Volunteer Of The Year
WALLINGFORD, Conn. The National MS Society, Greater Connecticut Chapter named at its recent Annual Meeting John LeBlanc the 2006 Volunteer of the Year. The award ceremony and annual meeting was held at the Hartford Marriott in Rocky Hill, Conn., on Sunday, March 4.
“A desire to join the fight and make a difference has led Mr. LeBlanc to devote countless hours, days and even weeks to the chapter, photographing its many events,” said Karen E. Butler, vice president of communications. “No other medium can communicate our mission in a more lasting, compelling or meaningful way than through the lens of Mr. LeBlanc’s camera. His photos capture, in a way unsurpassed, the heart, the mission and the devotion of courageous individuals joining us in the fight against MS. Mr. LeBlanc’s snap shots keep us engaged by allowing us to look back to a moment in time where we passionately participated in something significant and life changing.”
 LeBlanc, 54, the married father of four and grandfather of six, began volunteering with the chapter in 2005 when he photographed its MS Walk event in West Hartford, Conn. Ironically, LeBlanc, a manufacturing manager with Mallory Industries, Inc., located in Farmington, Conn., was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS) in 2003 after suffering optic neuritis. When his sight returned, he devoted himself to capturing and preserving life in action. LeBlanc has since established Creative Captures of Connecticut, a service specializing in wildlife photography and Greater Connecticut Chapter event photography. LeBlanc photographs the chapter’s walk, bike, motorcycle, golf and Women Against MS (WAMS) events.
There are more than 6,000 Connecticut residents, like LeBlanc, diagnosed with multiple sclerosis an oftentimes debilitating disease affecting the central nervous system. The cause is unknown, and, as a result, there currently is no cure. Funds raised through chapter events, such as those photographed by LeBlanc, ensure the continuation of scientific research to find a cure and provide for vital programs and services offered by the chapter to Connecticut residents diagnosed with MS.
LeBlanc’s next photo shoot includes the 2007 Travelers MS Walk to be held in eight locations across Connecticut on Sunday, April 22. To view LeBlanc’s event or Connecticut wildlife photography, please visit http://www.creativecapturesofct.com/. For more information on multiple sclerosis, the chapter, its efforts to end the devastating effects of the disease and the many ways to help, please go to http://www.ctfightsms.org/.
2/5/07
NOTE TO MEDIA:
For More Information
Contact Karen E. Butler
Vice President, Communications
Phone: 860.714.2300, ext. 230
E-mail: kbutler@ctfightsMS.org
Cell Phone: 860.997.4487
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