Walk to Defeat ALS
WHO: The Orange County chapter of The ALS Association in collaboration with Booz Allen Hamilton, Permobil, Beckman Coulter, Allstate, Aurora Telecommunications, Hart’s Rugs and Carpets, Excel Cabinets, ATG Rehab, Crush Studios and Tobii
WHAT: The 10th Annual 2009 Walk to Defeat ALS
WHERE: University of California, Irvine
WHY: The ALS Association is the only non profit organization fighting Lou Gehrig’s disease on every front. By leading the way in global research, providing assistance for people with ALS through a nationwide network of chapters, coordinating multidisciplinary care through certified clinical care centers, and fostering government partnerships, The Association builds hope and enhances quality of life while aggressively searching for new treatments and a cure.
Each year, the Walk to Defeat ALSTM brings communities together in the fight against Lou Gehrig’s disease. Though we walk for various reasons, we are united in our quest to find a cure for ALS.
Walk to Defeat ALS in Irvine, California Will Benefit Research and Patient Services Programs to Fight Lou Gehrig’s disease
Irvine, California, October 17, 2009 – Walk to Defeat ALS, a concerted effort to raise funds benefiting research and patient care services for people with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), will take place October 17th at the University of California, Irvine campus. The event is part of the continued campaign by The ALS Association Orange County Chapter to raise awareness and needed funding for the fight against ALS.
“Our Walk to Defeat ALS is part of a larger, national effort to raise money and public awareness about this progressive neuromuscular disease affecting as many as 30,000 people in the United States each year,” said Mark Hershey, President of the Board of Directors for the Orange County Chapter.
Participants can easily register at the ALSOC site ALSOC Walk to Defeat ALS Registration as a walker, to form a team or to make a donation.
Commonly known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, 5,600 new cases of ALS are diagnosed annually. With no known cause, prevention or cure, the disease affects the function of nerves and muscles, and people with ALS have an average life expectancy of two to five years from the time of diagnosis.
Now in its 10th year, the Walk to Defeat ALS has raised over $2 million from the Orange County chapter for the nation’s largest ALS research effort and local patient services programs provided by the Orange County Chapter. Participation last year was an outstanding effort from over 2,000 people walking for the cure.
The Orange County Chapter is one of 38 chapters of The ALS Association, the only national not-for-profit voluntary health organization devoted solely to the fight against ALS. For more information, contact Catherine Spear, Executive Director, ALS Association, Orange County Chapter, 714-285-1088, cspear@alsaoc.org.
