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30/05/07
Awareness Blooms in June - ALS Society of Canada
Awareness Blooms In June
TORONTO, June 1, 2007: June is ALS awareness month in Canada. Throughout each province, public awareness and fundraising campaigns will be carried out with the WALK for ALS, the sale of cornflower lapel pins and golf tournaments.
“The Walk has a mobilizing effect on the individuals who participate,” says David Cameron, President & CEO of the ALS Society of Canada. “It provides the means for people who have ALS and their loved ones to build awareness of ALS, and to connect with others who have been affected by the disease.”
The ALS Society of Canada is proud to welcome back Zack Werner, Canadian Idol Judge and President of Venus Management and Venus Records, as the National Chair and Spokesperson for the 2007 WALK for ALS. Werner has been the Walk Spokesperson since 2006. Like many whose lives have been touched by ALS, Werner has never forgotten its devastating effect, “I have seen first hand what this disease does to a person and we must find a cure.”
The signature fundraising event of the ALS Society of Canada is the WALK for ALS. The Walks are run in partnership with the provincial ALS Societies across Canada to raise money to support those living with this devastating disease, to raise awareness of the disease, and to raise funds for ALS research. In 2006, $2 million was raised in 80 communities. The majority of the Walks take place in June. Businesses, families and individuals can organize teams to take part in the Walk. In conjunction with the Walks, ALS volunteers hand out cornflower lapel pins in exchange for donations.
ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, is a rapidly progressive and fatal neuromuscular disorder that causes the degeneration of a select group 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 who get ALS will die within two to five years. Up to 10 per cent can live 10 years or more. Approximately 2,500 – 3,000 Canadians currently live with ALS.
The blue cornflower was chosen as the national symbol of hope for ALS, because of its fragile appearance, but hardy nature. The cornflower grows wild across most of Canada, is long-lasting, with striking blue, star-like blossoms. Like the cornflower, people living with ALS show remarkable strength in coping with a devastating disease.
The ALS Society of Canada, founded in 1977, is the only national voluntary health organization dedicated solely to the fight against ALS and support for those with ALS.
June 21st is ALS/Motor Neurone Disease Global Awareness Day.
-30-
For more information:
Bobbi Greenberg
Director of Communications
ALS Society of Canada
Tel: 416-497-2267 ext. 208
TORONTO, June 1, 2007: June is ALS awareness month in Canada. Throughout each province, public awareness and fundraising campaigns will be carried out with the WALK for ALS, the sale of cornflower lapel pins and golf tournaments.
“The Walk has a mobilizing effect on the individuals who participate,” says David Cameron, President & CEO of the ALS Society of Canada. “It provides the means for people who have ALS and their loved ones to build awareness of ALS, and to connect with others who have been affected by the disease.”
The ALS Society of Canada is proud to welcome back Zack Werner, Canadian Idol Judge and President of Venus Management and Venus Records, as the National Chair and Spokesperson for the 2007 WALK for ALS. Werner has been the Walk Spokesperson since 2006. Like many whose lives have been touched by ALS, Werner has never forgotten its devastating effect, “I have seen first hand what this disease does to a person and we must find a cure.”
The signature fundraising event of the ALS Society of Canada is the WALK for ALS. The Walks are run in partnership with the provincial ALS Societies across Canada to raise money to support those living with this devastating disease, to raise awareness of the disease, and to raise funds for ALS research. In 2006, $2 million was raised in 80 communities. The majority of the Walks take place in June. Businesses, families and individuals can organize teams to take part in the Walk. In conjunction with the Walks, ALS volunteers hand out cornflower lapel pins in exchange for donations.
ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, is a rapidly progressive and fatal neuromuscular disorder that causes the degeneration of a select group 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 who get ALS will die within two to five years. Up to 10 per cent can live 10 years or more. Approximately 2,500 – 3,000 Canadians currently live with ALS.
The blue cornflower was chosen as the national symbol of hope for ALS, because of its fragile appearance, but hardy nature. The cornflower grows wild across most of Canada, is long-lasting, with striking blue, star-like blossoms. Like the cornflower, people living with ALS show remarkable strength in coping with a devastating disease.
The ALS Society of Canada, founded in 1977, is the only national voluntary health organization dedicated solely to the fight against ALS and support for those with ALS.
June 21st is ALS/Motor Neurone Disease Global Awareness Day.
-30-
For more information:
Bobbi Greenberg
Director of Communications
ALS Society of Canada
Tel: 416-497-2267 ext. 208