Walk to D'Feet ALS is Saturday at Town Lake
Nicole Stewart
The Arizona Republic
Jan. 18, 2008 06:29 AM

The eighth annual Walk to D'Feet ALS will be held at 10 a.m. Saturday at Tempe Beach Park.

The three-mile walk aims to raise awareness and funds for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), often referred to as "Lou Gehrig's disease."

Registration for the event begins at 9 a.m., and nearly 1,500 people are expected to participate in the walk, said fundraising coordinator Mags Everette.





The event will feature a live band, a raffle and t-shirts for participants. The Phoenix Suns' Gorilla will be present, as well as spray-on tattoo artists and balloon makers for children.

"It's going to be a really nice event celebrating these people's lives: those who have been lost and those who are still living," Everette said.

The entire path of the walk is wheelchair and stroller accessible, but participants don't need to complete any or all of the route to be part of the walk.

Though commonly known as an illness that strikes elderly men, ALS is nondiscriminatory in age or sex, Everette said.

"This is a disease that's hitting people in their 20s, in their 30s, in their 40s," she said. "No one is immune to it."

Carl Cox, who was diagnosed with ALS in 2002 at the age of 32, will be participating in the walk with about 50 of his family members and friends.

Cox said he hopes the event will raise awareness about the fatal disease.

"I want people to know that while it is a death sentence, it's not an immediate death sentence," Cox said. "There are associations and support groups out there that can really enhance your life."

Every person and every penny counts when it comes to raising awareness and funds for the disease, he said.

"I hope people either come out and walk or reach in their pocket a little bit," he said. "Every little bit helps."

The ALS foundation hopes to raise $400,000 for ALS patients and research through Saturday's walk, Everette said. Part of the funding helps support patient programs and treatment, which can cost more than $200,000 annually for ALS patients, she said.

For more information, please call the ALS Association's Arizona chapter at 602-297-3800. Donations can also be made online at www.walk.als.az.org.

http://www.azcentral.com/community/a...r-als0119.html

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ALS benefit Saturday night in Maynard

GateHouse News Service
Fri Jan 18, 2008, 05:12 PM EST

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MAYNARD -
MAYNARD - Staff of the West Concord 99 Restaurant is holding a benefit at the Maynard American Legion hall Saturday night to raise money for the family of an employee diagnosed with ALS, or Lou Gehrig's disease.

All proceeds from the benefit will go to the help the Boxborough family of nine with medical expenses.

The event, at the Legion hall, 51 Summer St., runs from 7 to 11 p.m. Saturday and will feature music by Darrell French, a cash bar, food donated by the 99 Restaurant, Club Car Cafe, Stop & Shop and Mary's Catering. Cash donations at the door will also be welcomed.

Lisa Tucker of the 99, who is helping organize the benefit, said there will be a raffle and auction items including a 20-inch flat screen LCD TV, restaurant and entertainment gift cards, a wine chest and more.

Contributions to the family can also be made at West Concord Middlesex Savings Bank, made out to "ALS Benefit.''

http://www.metrowestdailynews.com/news/x603842576

Take a walk, help defeat ALS
Those who know me well know that I am against pretty much all forms of exercise. Hate it. Hate. It. But I’m all for raising awareness about important causes and also for raising money to provide help where it’s needed. Which brings us to the 2008 Bucks County Walk to Defeat ALS. If you’re a walker, here’s a way to do what you do and raise money and awareness about an important cause. If you’re like me and, in general, hate exercise, you can still help by shaking loose some spare change to put toward the cause.

The fun is slated for Saturday, April 12, 2008 at the Oxford Valley Mall. Registration will start at 7:30 a.m. and the walk will start an hour later. As an extra incentive, every registered walker gets a free t-shirt and registration is also free. Geez, what more could you ask for?

Add it up, folks - fun + free + helping raise awareness + t-shirt = easy decision.

OK, so you want more information? Fine with me. Just check out ther local ALS Web site or contact Julie McKeever by phone (215.643.5434 extension 26) or via e-mail.

Posted by Karl at 9:16 am |
http://blogs.phillyburbs.com/blog.php/?p=21840&cat=8