Ski-A-Thon for ALS raises more than $5,7000 in funds

May 31, 2011 - PRLog -- Markham, May 31, 2011 – BC resident Judi Israel completed her “Ski-a-thon for ALS”on March 26, by crosscountry skiing along the trails at Whistler Olympic Park to raise awareness of ALS and more than $5,700 in funds for the ALS Society of Canada.

The inspiration for her to organize and participate in this event came from her eldest brother’s ALS diagnosis in May 2010.  

“I enjoy everything about skiing; the beauty of nature; the thrill of the glide; and the vigorous exercise itself,” said Israel. “[One day] while skiing I decided to combine my love of skiing with my inclination to raise funds to support research for ALS.”

Although she faced a few initial challenges, Israel skied just under marathon distance, accomplishing 41.3 kilometres and climbing 560 metres at the park.

“At least I can laugh at myself, otherwise I may have been in tears when I realized I had dropped the map in the middle of a hill I had climbed in my second attempt in the wrong direction,” explained Israel. “After 45 minutes and three wrong attempts to find the correct trail, I finally made it to the trailhead.”

Even with the rocky start, Israel knows her event was a great success. She surpassed her initial fundraising goal of $5,000 the week before her event took place and the donations have not stopped yet.

Having found her way through Whistler Olympic Park and raising such a substantial amount of funds for ALS research, Israel hopes she has motivated others across Canada to get involved in starting their own ski-a-thons.

“The fact that people of all ages and ability levels cross-country ski will offer an opportunity for an eclectic group of people to raise funds for ALS,” said Israel.

ALS, more commonly known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, is a rapidly progressive and fatal neuromuscular disease that causes the degeneration of nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord. As the nerve cells die, people with ALS lose control of their muscles, which makes breathing, eating and even smiling almost impossible. Eighty per cent of those diagnosed will die within two to five years.

Across Canada, many individuals and organizations generously invest their time to create and host fundraising events and activities to raise money in support of the ALS Society of Canada and our research mission. If you would like to host your own event, please contact Enzo Raponi, director of development, ALS Canada, at er@als.ca or 1-800-267-4257 x 205.

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For more information, please contact:

Bobbi Greenberg
Director of Communications
ALS Society of Canada
Tel: 1-800-267-4257 ext. 208
bg@als.ca