Nine Years Later, the WALK for ALS is Stronger Than Ever

PRLog (Press Release) - Jun 02, 2009 -
In the heartbreaking year after his wife’s death from ALS, John Pollock found an outlet for his grief that has changed the lives of thousands of Canadians.

The Pollock family lost wife, mother and grandmother Mary Pollock to ALS in November 2000, just six months after her diagnosis. After conducting research on ALS and speaking with representatives from the ALS Association in the United States, Pollock suggested the idea of a fundraising walk to the Canadian ALS societies.  In September 2001, his idea came to fruition and the Walk to D’Feet ALS made its debut in eight Canadian communities.  A few years later, the name was deemed too negative and the event was renamed the WALK for ALS to reflect the positive impact the walk has on families living with ALS.

In nine years, the WALK for ALS has grown into the ALS Society of Ontario’s signature event and largest annual fundraiser.  In 2008, the walk raised $1.15 million provincially and more than $2 million nationally.  In 2009, walks are taking place in more than 70 communities nationwide, 28 of them in Ontario.

“Out of a place of grief, my father wanted to make a difference,” says daughter Katherine, a former chair of ALS Ontario’s board of directors.  “Through my dad's creativity, and passion, and plain hard work, he made something good and lasting come out of a loss that still crushes us to this day.”

Seventy per cent of the walk’s proceeds fund the province’s equipment and support services programs, while the remaining 30 per cent funds research towards a cure. In 2008, Toronto raised more than $120,000.  Toronto is one of seven locations in the GTA and 28 across Ontario holding walks this year.  The walk is set for June 6 at 10 a.m. at Wilket Creek Park.

The Pollock family walks in Toronto every year with their team, “Mary’s Messengers,” and raise $6,000 to $7,000 each year.  They also established a national award in Mary’s memory, the Mary Pollock WALK for ALS Award, which recognizes an exceptional volunteer and celebrates his or her outstanding contributions in developing the walk to its full potential.

“The ALS Society of Ontario’s goal is to help ease the physical, emotional and financial burdens ALS creates,” says Maureen Sheahan, President & CEO, ALS Society of Ontario.  “With the help of volunteers and supporters across the province, we’ve grown the WALK for ALS into our most successful and anticipated event.  We ask the public to help us continue this success story in 2009.”

For more information, or to support the walk, visit www.walkforals.ca.

ALS, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis or Lou Gehrig’s disease, is a fatal and rapidly progressive neuromuscular disease affecting more than 1,000 Ontarians and their families. There is no cure or effective treatment. Eighty per cent of those affected die within two to five years of diagnosis.  The ALS Society of Ontario is a non-profit organization committed to providing equipment and support services to increase quality of life and provide independence, dignity, hope and choice to people with ALS.