Springfield Walk to Defeat ALS Set for May 30

SPRINGFIELD — The Springfield Walk to Defeat ALS will be held on Saturday, May 30 at Forest Park. Beginning with 9 a.m. check in and registration, the walk starts at 11 a.m. The three-mile walk seeks to raise more than $50,000 to sustain care services and support research to find a cure for ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease.

The last Walk to Defeat ALS was held five years ago, and this marks the return of the event to the region.
 The goal is to recruit more than 20 teams, with 12 teams already registered for this event. Top fundraising teams are Baystate ALS Clinic, Team Papa, and Team Berkshire County. WEEI-FM is the Media Sponsor for the Springfield Walk to Defeat ALS. There will be family fun and kids activities and participants completing the walk will receive discounted Forest Park Zoo passes.

The Walk to Defeat ALS is a national signature event and each year, more than 150,000 individuals, many from local companies and organizations, join together to raise funds in support of the ALS cause. Now in its 15th year, approximately 175 walks will be held throughout the U.S. in a nationwide effort to raise $23 million. Since its inception, thousands of people throughout the country have raised more than $184 million to fight ALS. Often referred to as “Lou Gehrig’s Disease,” ALS is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and the spinal cord. ALS weakens every voluntary muscle in the body including those associated with walking, talking, moving, swallowing, and breathing. As an ALS patient becomes weaker his/her mind and senses usually remain intact the entire time. There is no cure for ALS. The average life expectancy is five years or less.
The ALS Association is the only nonprofit organization fighting Lou Gehrig’s Disease on every front.

For more information on the walk, visit http://web.alsa.org/springfieldwalk2015 or e-mail info@als-ma.org.