• By Kelli Reich
• Posted Friday, March 20, 2009

Walk to Defeat ALS

Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (Lou Gherig’s Disease) is a disease with no known cause or cure. Despite the fact that little is known about the reason people get ALS, much is being done to promote awareness and understanding of the disease, and to find a cure. It’s believed that as many as 30,000 Americans currently have ALS. In fact, the incidence of ALS is approximately 2 out of 100,000 people. Statistically speaking, nearly 5,600 people each year in the United States alone are diagnosed with ALS, which is five times higher than Huntington’s disease and about equal to Multiple Sclerosis.

The Walk to Defeat ALS, the ALS Association’s signature event, will be held in Clemmons, NC on Saturday, April 18th, presented by BB&T. The three kilometer walk will take place at Tanglewood Park - Shelter 4. Registration begins at 9 AM with a ribbon-cutting ceremony following to begin the Walk. The family-friendly event will feature activities including face painting for kids, food, and music.

All proceeds from the Winston-Salem Walk to Defeat ALS will go to the ALS Association’s Jim “Catfish” Hunter Chapter. The Catfish Chapter, located in Raleigh, North Carolina, provides services and grants to PALS throughout North Carolina and supports ALS research on a global scale.

For more information about the Walk to Defeat ALS in Clemmons, visit www.CatfishChapter.org. To learn how you can lend your support to the Winston-Salem Walk to Defeat ALS, please contact Amy Sullivan toll free at 1-877-568-4347 or by email.