\ Fundraising \ Hike The Trail To Help Us Prevail!
September 20, 2007: TORONTO, ON – The ALS Society of Canada and ALS Society of Ontario are hosting the 3rd Annual HIKE 4 ALS at The Kortright Centre for Conservation in Vaughan. The Hike will take place on Saturday, September 29th 2007 at 10a.m., during Ontario Hiking Week. Special guest in attendance will be Mayor Linda Jackson of Vaughn.
“On Saturday September 29, 2007, we will hike because this could happen to any one of us,” says Enzo Raponi, leader of one of the largest Hike teams and projects manager at ALS Canada, “we will hike to give back to those affected by ALS and struggling to retain quality of life, we will hike to keep their spirits alive.”
The HIKE 4 ALS is one of the signature events of the ALS Society. The money raised at this event funds desperately needed equipment and support services for people living with ALS, as well as research for a cure. These services increase the quality of life for people living with ALS by providing them with independence, dignity, and choice while ALS research provides them with hope for the future.
ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, is a rapidly progressive and fatal neuromuscular disorder that causes the degeneration of a select group of nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord. As the nerve cells die, people with ALS lose control of their muscles, which makes breathing, eating and even smiling almost impossible. Eighty per cent of those who get ALS will die within two to five years. Up to 10 per cent can live 10 years or more.
“ALS is a devastating disease for individuals and their families. There is no cure, and for those living with ALS today, research is the only hope,” says Maureen Sheahan, President and CEO ALS Society of Ontario. “The Society raises funds to provide support services and equipment, to allow individuals to live at home, as independently as possible, for as long as possible. The equipment needed by our clients can cost up to $140K. We share that burden at a time when families have enough to cope with.”
According to Denise Figlewicz, Director of Research at ALS Canada, it is essential that more research is done. “The majority of treatments developed for human diseases have been the result of diligent and painstaking research…It is likely the same will be true in the case of ALS - research is needed to understand the disease process and provide the direction for development of treatments.”
For more information about the Hike, please contact: Corina Chevalier, development officer events, ALS Society of Ontario. 416-497-8545 x 218, corina@alsont.ca
-30-
Media contacts:
Bobbi Greenberg,
Director of Communications, ALS Society of Canada
416-497-5509 ext 208
bg@als.ca
Maureen Sheahan, President and CEO, ALS Society of Ontario
416-497-8545 x 216
maureen@alsont.ca
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Hike The Trail To Help Us Prevail!
Take part in Hike Week and support a worthy cause.September 20, 2007: TORONTO, ON – The ALS Society of Canada and ALS Society of Ontario are hosting the 3rd Annual HIKE 4 ALS at The Kortright Centre for Conservation in Vaughan. The Hike will take place on Saturday, September 29th 2007 at 10a.m., during Ontario Hiking Week. Special guest in attendance will be Mayor Linda Jackson of Vaughn.
“On Saturday September 29, 2007, we will hike because this could happen to any one of us,” says Enzo Raponi, leader of one of the largest Hike teams and projects manager at ALS Canada, “we will hike to give back to those affected by ALS and struggling to retain quality of life, we will hike to keep their spirits alive.”
The HIKE 4 ALS is one of the signature events of the ALS Society. The money raised at this event funds desperately needed equipment and support services for people living with ALS, as well as research for a cure. These services increase the quality of life for people living with ALS by providing them with independence, dignity, and choice while ALS research provides them with hope for the future.
ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, is a rapidly progressive and fatal neuromuscular disorder that causes the degeneration of a select group of nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord. As the nerve cells die, people with ALS lose control of their muscles, which makes breathing, eating and even smiling almost impossible. Eighty per cent of those who get ALS will die within two to five years. Up to 10 per cent can live 10 years or more.
“ALS is a devastating disease for individuals and their families. There is no cure, and for those living with ALS today, research is the only hope,” says Maureen Sheahan, President and CEO ALS Society of Ontario. “The Society raises funds to provide support services and equipment, to allow individuals to live at home, as independently as possible, for as long as possible. The equipment needed by our clients can cost up to $140K. We share that burden at a time when families have enough to cope with.”
According to Denise Figlewicz, Director of Research at ALS Canada, it is essential that more research is done. “The majority of treatments developed for human diseases have been the result of diligent and painstaking research…It is likely the same will be true in the case of ALS - research is needed to understand the disease process and provide the direction for development of treatments.”
For more information about the Hike, please contact: Corina Chevalier, development officer events, ALS Society of Ontario. 416-497-8545 x 218, corina@alsont.ca
-30-
Media contacts:
Bobbi Greenberg,
Director of Communications, ALS Society of Canada
416-497-5509 ext 208
bg@als.ca
Maureen Sheahan, President and CEO, ALS Society of Ontario
416-497-8545 x 216
maureen@alsont.ca
| Posted On: Monday, September 24, 2007 Modified: Monday, September 24, 2007 Category: Fundraising Posted By: |