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

This is the 9th year the WALK for ALS is being held in Canada. Toronto's John Pollock, who lost his wife, Mary, to ALS, introduced the walk to Canada. The Pollock family has watched the walk grow into the biggest annual fundraiser for ALS.
By: ALS Society of Ontario
 
June 2, 2009 - PRLog -- 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.

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About the ALS Society of Ontario: The ALS Society of Ontario is a registered non-profit organization committed to providing the necessary equipment and support services to people with ALS and their families, as well as supporting Canadian ALS research. The Society provides loan and purchase assistance for essential medical equipment; information and referral for people with ALS, their caregivers, families and communities; peer support and referrals to counseling and support groups; home visiting; educational materials about ALS for healthcare providers, students, people with ALS, and others; and in-service training about ALS and the Society to the healthcare community. ALS, or Lou Gehrig's disease, is a fatal and rapidly progressive neuromuscular disease affecting more than 1,000 Ontarians. ALS robs most of those afflicted of the ability to move, speak and eventually breathe. Eighty per cent of those diagnosed die within two to five years of diagnosis.
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Source:ALS Society of Ontario
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Tags:Als, Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, Lou Gehrig S Disease, Awareness, Fundraising, Walk For Als, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
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Location:Toronto - Ontario - Canada
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