The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

www.oakvillebeaver.com · OAKVILLE BEAVER Friday, May 14, 2010 · 10 Parents honour son with MS fundraiser By David Lea OAKVILLE BEAVER STAFF An Oakville family is hoping others will follow their example and turn the tragic loss of a loved one into an outpouring of support for those in need. Mark Friesen, 19, lost his life, Jan. 10, 2009, in a tragic accident at Ryerson University where he was in his second year of studying urban planning. On Saturday, Mark's friends and family, with the help of the Multiple Sclerosis (MS) Society of Canada, will be holding `Dinner with Mark' an MS gala fundraiser that will feature food, guest speakers, a silent auction and live music. Between 420 and 450 people are expected to attend with organizers hoping to raise around $20,000 for MS research. Those closest to Mark expressed a number of reasons for holding the fundraiser in his honour. "Mark was always helping others, so we thought after his tragic passing it would be appropriate to continue what he has started," said Derek Friesen, Mark's brother. WOOD N' FLOOR We Install All Kinds of Floors "Refinish Your Wood Floor Like New" Serving Oakville residents for over 20 years. KAZ (905) 338-1881 www.woodnfloor.ca W Mark's father Rudy said holding the fundraiser was also a way to repay the community for the stellar support his family received in the days, weeks and months following his son's death. "There is someone out there who donated a mini-grand piano (for the event's raffle)," said Rudy. "That's the sort of spirit that is out there." The MS Society of Canada was chosen as the beneficiary of this fundraiser because Mark had friends and family whose lives have been touched by MS, said Dorothy, Mark's mother. "Multiple Sclerosis is a terrible disease, it needs attention," said Dorothy. "We need to raise not only funds for research, because we are getting close to a cure, but also awareness because this is such a nasty disease." Saturday's gala will not be the first time help has been rendered in Mark's name. Last year another fundraiser was successful in raising more than $35,000, which was used to create the Mark Friesen Award, a scholarship for the students of Ryerson's School of Urban and Regional Planning, which Friesen attended. The award will be given each year to the student who improves the most from year one to year two. Ryerson recently handed out the award to its first recipient. Mark's friends have also created a Mark Friesen Award at Iroquois Ridge High School, where Mark graduated. To receive this scholarship a student must have participated in three sports, be an honours student with an average of 80 per cent or above, have demonstrated an extremely high level of respect and have an extremely positive attitude in all aspects of high school life, enriching the experience of others at Iroquois Ridge High School. The award criteria also states that a student who receives the award must have contributed to the Iroquois Ridge and local community as Mark was always the first to support others in their endeavors no matter what the cause. With more than a year having passed since Mark's death his parents are coping with his loss through work, the support offered by the community and through faith. "One of the main reasons that I can cope with all this is because of the support we get from the community, friends and of course our relatives," said Rudy. "That's what keeps us going. When you do a fundraiser like this it's amazing. The news is fully of so much bad stuff, but when you do this you realize there are so many good people out there." The Friesen's have yet to decide if they will attempt another fundraiser next year, but haven't ruled it out. The cut-off date for attending `Dinner with Mark' has been reached, however, donations for the fundraiser will be accepted even after the fundraiser has taken place and can be made by emailing Michelle.Capobianco@mssociety.ca or calling 416-967-3026.