Press Release Source: Volvo Cars of North America


Vote for Missouri's Greatest Hometown Heroes
Thursday January 11, 7:15 am ET
National Vote Underway for All-Time Greatest Heroes - Five Per State - in 5th Anniversary Volvo for life Awards
Vote for Top Heroes at www.volvoforlifeawards.com; $1 Million in Financial Contributions Provided; Winner Receives Volvo Car for Life


IRVINE, Calif., Jan. 11 /PRNewswire/ -- Who would you give a Volvo to? How about Sandra Irle of Warrensburg who worked for more than six years to restore and re-imagine Blind Boone Park? Or Denise Brock of Moscow Mills, who helps plant workers who developed cancer after working at Mallinckrodt Chemical Works? Or Steve Flick of Kingsville, who established the Western Johnson County Medical Clinic to provide affordable and accessible health care to people in his rural community?
These are just three of the five extraordinary Missouri heroes named as semi-finalists in the 5th Anniversary Volvo for life Awards -- Volvo's annual search for hometown heroes across America. This year, in honor of the Awards' 5th anniversary, Volvo selected the top five heroes from every state in America and is asking the American public to visit www.volvoforlifeawards.com to vote for their favorites now through February 4, 2007.

Who in Missouri would you give a Volvo to? Representing Missouri in this year's Volvo for life Awards are:


* Denise Brock of Moscow Mills, has been dubbed the "Erin Brockovich of
Missouri," thanks to her tireless work on behalf of plant workers who
developed cancer after working at Mallinckrodt Chemical Works. A cancer
survivor herself, Brock first learned of the extent of Uranium poisoning
from the plant while in court fighting for money to cover expenses
incurred when her late father developed cancer after years of working at
the plant. Since then, Brock and her mother have been educating plant
workers and their families, as well as the community in general, about
Uranium and Beryllium poisoning. Brock also advocates for the claims of
these families.

* Farmer and Seed Company CEO, Steve Flick of Kingsville, established the
Western Johnson County Medical Clinic to provide affordable and
accessible health care to farmers, rural residents and employees of
local small businesses, who previously had to travel more than 30 miles
for medical care. Flick bought a defunct equipment store and recruited
the help of local tradesmen to build the clinic from the ground up.
Since the doors opened October 15, 2004, the full time, full service
medical clinic has helped more than 5,000 patients. A foundation since
established helps Western Johnson County Medical Clinic, as well as
other rural health care clinics in Johnson County, to address the health
care needs of rural residents.

* Sandra Irle of Warrensburg worked for more than six years to restore and
re-imagine Blind Boone Park, built in 1954 for the African-American
community during segregation. Irle recognized the importance of the
park and brought together more than 3,000 volunteers from White and
Black communities to restore the park and protect its history. Under
Irle's leadership, the trash-filled, weed-strangled space has been
transformed into a beautiful park, complete with gardens, lawns, sensory
walkways for the visually impaired and a large gazebo for musical
performances. Blind Boone Park, created in an era of exclusion and
discrimination, is now a garden of inclusion, unity and community for
all the city's citizens.

* Jack Orchard of St. Louis co-founded "Extra Hands for ALS" to help
families who suffer with Lou Gehrig's Disease (ALS), despite being an
ALS sufferer himself with only the power of his mind and the use of one
finger to operate a computer. The program provides high school and
college student volunteers the skills they need to become "friendly
visitors," helping with mail or e-mail, housecleaning, getting
groceries, doing yard work, reading aloud or simply providing company to
ALS patients. Students also participate in public awareness events,
such as organizing an ALS Awareness Day at their school or running an
information booth at a community fair. To date, hundreds of students
have worked thousands of hours all over the country for the cause.

* Dr. John Small of Hartsburg established a clinic, which employs several
other volunteer therapists and students, to provide free counseling
services to the poor and homeless. Dr. Small works for himself and
commits 20 hours (over and above his typical 40 hour work week) each
week to provide services and free clinic office space and to train
younger therapists and psychiatric nurses so they can continue this work
when he retires.

Once the public vote concludes, the top three vote getters in the categories of safety, quality of life and environment will be named finalists. Then, a panel of distinguished judges -- including Hank Aaron, Sen. Bill Bradley, Caroline Kennedy, Maya Lin, Paul Newman, Dr. Sally Ride, Val Kilmer, Eunice Kennedy Shriver and previous Volvo for life Awards top winners -- will select winners in each category. Winners receive a $50,000 charitable contribution from Volvo; remaining finalists receive a $25,000 contribution.

Volvo and members of the celebrity-judging panel will honor the winning heroes on April 5, 2007 at the 42nd St. Cipriani during the 5th Annual Volvo for life Awards Ceremony. There, Volvo will reveal which of the three top heroes is also the Grand Award winner of a Volvo vehicle every three years for the rest of his or her life.

"Over the past five years the Volvo for life Awards initiative has received more than 15,000 hero nominations," said Anne Belec, president and chief executive officer of Volvo Cars of North America. "All of these heroes demonstrate incredible conscience, care and character. Having the public help us select the winning heroes is a truly exciting -- and democratic -- addition to this year's program."

To learn more, or to vote for your favorite hero, visit www.volvoforlifeawards.com. A Spanish version of the site can also be accessed at this address.


http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/070111/lath002.html?.v=70

Jack Orchard
St. Louis, Missouri

Extra Hands for ALS



Jack Orchard is now 37 and will probably die in the next year. He has ALS (Lou Gehrig's Disease). As a result, he cannot move his legs or arms, can move only one finger to work a computer mouse, can barely hold his head up, and must rely on other people to take care of him. However much ALS slowly takes the body, the disease leaves the mind intact. Through the power of his mind, Jack has fought back, helping ALS families who suffer with this disease through the program he co-founded, "Extra Hands for ALS."

Through the program, high school and college student volunteers complete a training program with ALS clinicians and social workers. Once the student volunteers complete their training, they are placed on a team with another volunteer and an adult mentor, usually an experienced adult volunteer or ALS survivor. Under their guidance, student volunteers provide "friendly visitor" services, such as helping with mail or e-mail, housecleaning, getting groceries, doing yard work, reading aloud, or simply providing company to the patient. Once per semester, students participate in a public awareness event, such as organizing an ALS Awareness Day at their school, or running an information booth at a community fair.

To date, hundreds of students have worked thousands of hours all over the country for the cause. The opportunity to contribute through Extra Hands for ALS also helps the student volunteers. Their service opens them to a unique opportunity to grow and mature by getting to know someone who is facing a terminal illness. Many of these students have found that the experience changed their lives forever.

Jack Orchard has inspired people to get involved in a fight that was never their own. I am one of those people. I never knew anyone with ALS before Jack. Today, I work fulltime to expand Extra Hands for ALS to help fulfill Jack's dream--to have this help available to everyone in America who suffers from ALS, and ultimately to find a cure. For more information about Extra Hands, please visit www.extrahands.org, a Web site that Jack created.

http://www.volvoforlif...(cropped)



Vote for Jack Orchard at

http://www.volvoforlifeawards.com/cg...ote/index.html

Here's how to nominate your hero:
Nominations for the 5th Annual Volvo for life Awards are closed - but in honor of our 5th anniversary, you can still participate...by becoming a judge in the Awards. Starting August 14, you'll be able to vote for your favorite heroes from the past five years of the awards. Your vote will help decide which heroes will receive up to $50,000 in funding, a trip to our awards gala - and even a Volvo for life! For more information about voting, click here.

And if you missed the cutoff for the 5th Anniversary Awards, don't despair - you can also nominate your hero for our 6th Awards program right now, simply by filling in the following easy, three-step form. Click here for a detailed list of awards your hero may receive - and nominate your hero now!
http://www.volvoforlifeawards.com/cg...ate/index.html

.

I'am gonna nominate Jamie Heywood for everything he has done and doing for pals.


So please everyone do the same and nominate Jamie.

At
http://www.volvoforlifeawards.com/cg...ate/index.html

GET GOING!"
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Cambridge, MA
December 20, 2006


Dear Friends,


On behalf of my entire family – thank you. Over the past few weeks your notes, words, and prayers have memorialized my brother, Stephen, far beyond what we could have ever imagined or wished. You have given us incredible strength. You have overwhelmed us with your kindness and love.


Since the Foundation began, many of you were thankfully bold enough to ask, what happens after Stephen? - to ALS TDF - to me – to us, the community we have built? And for six years, brushing aside the unimaginable (wasn’t Stephen invincible?) I answered both that I thought that is was impossible to know how I would feel and also that ALS TDF had grown far beyond Stephen or any patient, for that matter.


Today I know how I feel. It’s hard to explain but I know what Stephen wants and I know what we will do. Today - I know that we are on the right course and that this is a battle we can win and that we will do whatever it takes to win.


Together we created the world’s first non-profit biotechnology company and industrialized validation in ways that have begun to have impact beyond ALS. Though we did not find a cure that worked for Stephen, I hope you are as proud as I am of ALS TDF.



So what happens now? What happens now is we do whatever it takes to win. This year we added 40% to our research budget and next year we intend to double it. This year we built the infrastructure to understand ALS; next year we begin to find ways to stop ALS.
What happens now is the gloves come off. This does not end here…we will take this disease apart and destroy it – together.

Many of you may recall that Stephen gave the first $10,000 donation with these words – “Get Going!” And so we did – and so we continue. In the coming weeks I will share with you incredibly exciting news about new partnerships, new investments, and where we are headed in the coming year. Much of this has long been in planning but is even more exciting today in the wake of our loss.

Until then, from my heart, thank you for helping me make Stephen proud.

I wish you all safe, healthy and happy holidays!


-jamie

Your Hero's Information
Jamie Heywood
founder of ALS TDF

Cambridge, Massachusetts 02142
6174417200
James_Heywood@mail.vresp.com

Your Information
bobby brannigan
spruce pine, North Carolina 28777
828 765 0610
robertb@mitchell.main.nc.us

About Your Hero

James Allen Heywood, Chief Executive Officer and d'Arbeloff Founding Director An MIT-educated mechanical engineer, James entered the ALS research field in 1999 when his younger brother Stephen was diagnosed with the disease. His innovative approach to finding effective treatments for Stephen's illness has significantly impacted the ALS drug discovery field and won the support and resources of numerous biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies. The organization James founded, The ALS Therapy Development Foundation, runs the only nonprofit biotech laboratory of its kind in the world. ALS TDF - with an annual budget of $4 million and staff of about 30 - reflects James' understanding of the needs of ALS patients, as well as the potential of the ALS/orphan disease market. ALS TDF's unique approach to disease research and management has been profiled by Pulitzer Prize-winning author Jonathan Weiner in the biography His Brother's Keeper, by The New Yorker, 60 Minutes II and the new film documentary, So Much So Fast. Previously, James served as the Director of Technology Development at the Neurosciences Institute in La Jolla, Calif., where he worked with Nobel Laureate Gerald Edelman to commercialize promising research. Prior, as Director of Product Development at Advent Design Corporation, James managed a diverse team of engineers developing pharmaceutical instruments and industrial products.

Ongoing

Documentary by award-winning filmmakers chronicles Heywoods' battle with ALS and the birth of ALS TDF Having debuted at the Sundance Film Festival in February, So Much So Fast will open in October in Boston and New York, as well as other cities across the country. Beginning with Stephen Heywood's ALS diagnosis at the age of 29, the documentary offers a window into the Heywood family's battle against ALS and the formation of ALS TDF.

////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

Vote for Jack Orchard at

http://www.volvoforlifeawards.com/cg...ote/index.html

You can vote for Jack Orchard at

http://www.volvoforlifeawards.com/cg...ote/index.html


but most of all is the nominations for the 6th awards program.

And this is where all PALS need to help for awareness and

Nominate Jamie Heywood for this award.

You can get all info on Jamie on the ALS TDF website.

http://www.als.net/default.asp


to nominate Jamie Heywood go here

http://www.volvoforlifeawards.com/cg...ate/index.html


please do this for awareness

please do this for Stephen


thanks

In honor of the Volvo for life Awards’ 5th Anniversary, you can help pick our all-time greatest heroes. We’ve chosen the five top heroes from the past five years in every state in America. Now we’re asking you to help us select our top heroes by visiting
the “vote” section of this site. There, you can browse our heroes by name or
state.You may read as many stories as you like – and then vote for your
favorite heroes – from now until February 4, 2007.


Vote ends February 4, 2007

More than 250 heroes to choose from

Public vote determines Awards Finalists

Winners selected from the Finalists’ nominations by our judging panel (link to judges here)

Grand Award Winner of a “Volvo for life” selected from the three top Winners

Winning heroes honored at Awards Gala in New York City on April 5, 2007


A Volvo for life (in addition to Winner’s Award, below)

$50,000 to a charity of choice

Trip to NYC Awards Ceremony for themselves and a guest

Starring role in a Volvo for life Awards heroes documentary

$25,000 to a charity of choice

Certificate of Merit

http://www.extrahands.org/

Fight ALS (Lou Gehrig's disease)
video with jack orchard with his wife for "Extra Hands for ALS" .
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fst4oB5TZdw



* Jack Orchard of St. Louis co-founded "Extra Hands for ALS" to help
families who suffer with Lou Gehrig's Disease (ALS), despite being an
ALS sufferer himself with only the power of his mind and the use of one
finger to operate a computer. The program provides high school and
college student volunteers the skills they need to become "friendly
visitors," helping with mail or e-mail, housecleaning, getting
groceries, doing yard work, reading aloud or simply providing company to
ALS patients. Students also participate in public awareness events,
such as organizing an ALS Awareness Day at their school or running an
information booth at a community fair. To date, hundreds of students
have worked thousands of hours all over the country for the cause.

Volvo for life Awards

Vote for Top Heroes at www.volvoforlifeawards.com; $1 Million in Financial Contributions Provided; Winner Receives Volvo Car for Life