CALABASAS HILLS, Calif., Sept. 28, 2004 (PRIMEZONE) -- Tens of thousands of people are gathering in cities across the country this fall for The ALS Association's (ALSA) Walk to D'Feet ALS (r), a nationwide event to raise funds for research and providing services for people with Lou Gehrig's disease and their families.
Sponsored by corporations including Booz Allen Hamilton, Subaru, NationalCity and CollegeChoice, the Walk to D'Feet ALS also increases public awareness of this devastating neuromuscular disease which annually affects as many as 30,000 people in the United States. The life expectancy for people with the disease is two to five years from the time of diagnosis. There is no known cure.
Prior to the event, walkers, including family members who have flown in from across the country, usually form teams in honor of a loved one with ALS. Each team then picks a captain who initiates a letter-writing campaign to family and friends asking for donations.
Because the Walk has been so successful, ALSA has expanded it to include other programs such as "I Took the Extra Step," which encourages each Walk participant to sign a letter to a member of Congress, highlighting a legislative priority for that year.
Last year, all of ALSA's chapters staged Walks. The events, held in 116 cities, attracted 100,000 participants, who raised $7 million. This year, a projected 133 Walks will be held in 120 cities with the goal of raising $8 million, a $1 million increase.
"The Walk To D'Feet ALS is ALSA's major fundraising effort every year as we bring communities together across America to fight ALS," said ALSA National Signature Event Director Pat Freiberg.
"The Walks allow the local chapters of The ALS Association to more quickly deliver high quality and comprehensive patient services, which is part of our mission. It is a grassroots event that has really jump-started many of the smaller chapters."
The Walk is a unique event because of its noncompetitive nature.
"It's a wonderful community event where people come together with joy and passion for a common cause," said Freiberg. "Participants don't break away from the team; everyone walks together."
The Walk provides a festive time for all regardless of a person's medical condition.
"Many cannot walk," Freiberg noted, "but that doesn't stop them from dancing. And that's what this is all about: giving people the opportunity to celebrate their time together and to realize that they are not alone, and that they are making a difference."
In the year 2000, the Walk's first year, 13 chapters participated and raised $1.4 million.
The ALS Association is the only national not-for-profit voluntary health organization devoted solely to the fight against ALS.
EDITOR'S NOTE: For more information about where current and future Walks are scheduled, how to form a team walk as an individual, become a Walk volunteer or sponsor, call 1-888-WALK-ALS or visit www.walk4als.org.
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