Major and Minor League Baseball to Honor Lou Gehrig and Raise Awareness for ALS

PR Log (Press Release) – May 14, 2009 – 70th Anniversary of Lou Gehrig’s Farewell Speech
The ALS Association Launches the ‘Covering All the Bases Hitting Challenge’

Raleigh, N.C., May 14, 2009 – The ALS Association’s Jim “Catfish” Hunter Chapter is launching the “Covering All the Bases® Hitting Challenge” during Major League Baseball’s “4ALS Awareness” charitable initiative that commemorates the 70th anniversary of Lou Gehrig’s famous “Luckiest Man” farewell speech as he battled the disease that ultimately took his life.

In the “Covering All the Bases” program, baseball fans and supporters of the fight against ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis), commonly referred to as Lou Gehrig’s Disease, can make a pledge for each hit made by their favorite Major League Baseball® or Minor League Baseball™ team. Funds raised from this campaign will support ALS Association chapter patient services programs, research, advocacy, education and public awareness. Incentives such as ALS Association commemorative pins, caps, T-shirts and Lou Gehrig prints will be given to donors based on their level of giving.

To participate online, visit the “Covering All the Bases” campaign Web site at www.alsa.org/coveringallthebases or by mail by contacting the chapter.  

Major League Baseball’s “4ALS” initiative, launched earlier this year, will culminate in an array of activities at Major League and Minor League ballparks across America on July 4. The initiative is designed to educate the public about the progressive, neurodegenerative disease ALS and raises financial support for research into the causes and cure for ALS.

“People with ALS and their loved ones are hoping for no less than a slugfest on this day because each hit potentially represents thousands of additional dollars that will be invested into helping patients live better lives today and our state-of-the-art, global research efforts,” said Jerry Dawson, president and CEO of the Jim “Catfish” Hunter Chapter.  

The July 4 event will feature many activities, including all players and on-field personnel wearing the “4ALS” logo on their uniforms, and a reading of Gehrig’s “Luckiest Man” speech.  

“The ALS Association commends Major League Baseball for initiating one of the most important ALS awareness campaigns ever undertaken,” said Jane H. Gilbert, president and CEO of The Association. “We are keeping our fingers crossed that official scorekeepers will be extra busy on July 4 penciling in hits.”

ALS causes the progressive death of the motor nerve cells that operate muscles, robbing the brain of its ability to initiate and control movement. Approximately 30,000 Americans have the disease, for which there is no cure, and can expect to survive on average two to five years from the time of diagnosis unless ventilator support is chosen.

The ALS Association is a non-profit organization fighting Lou Gehrig’s disease on every front. Through global research, providing assistance for people with ALS from 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.

To mark the 70th anniversary of Lou Gehrig’s farewell address, Major League Baseball and Minor League Baseball are helping to support four ALS organizations, including The ALS Association, ALS TDI, MDA/Augie’s Quest and Project A.L.S. to raise awareness of ALS.  

For more information about the “Covering All the Bases Hitting Challenge,” visit The “Catfish” Chapter Web site at www.catfishchapter.org or call toll free at (877) 568-4347.

To arrange an interview with a representative from the Chapter, a person living with ALS and possibly a Major League Baseball player, contact Derek Levandowski, Public Education and Awareness Coordinator at the Chapter.