Walk, run, ride, roll or cheer from the sidelines this June at the ALS Society of British Columbia’s annual fundraising event “Move to Cure ALS.”
Formerly known as the Walk to End ALS, this year’s event will have both a virtual and an in-person option for participants, pending the pandemic’s restrictions allow such a thing by the beginning of the summer.
“The ride, walk – whatever you choose to do – it’s bringing people together and showing support for people living with ALS and also remembering the people that we’ve lost,” says Wendy Toyer, executive director of the ALS Society of British Columbia.
ALS, which stands for Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, is a progressive nervous system disease affecting the nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord, which causes loss of control over the muscles needed to move, speak, eat and breathe, reads the Mayo Clinic’s website.
Currently, there is no cure, but the ALS Society of B.C. is working hard to change that.
All donations fundraised will remain within the province this year, with 60 per cent supporting patient service programs and 40 per cent supporting the University of British Columbia’s ALS research program, PROJECT HOPE.
“We’ve all seen firsthand how quickly governments can move when there’s a crisis at hand, such as a worldwide pandemic, and that’s taken down so many barriers and walls with regards to bureaucracy,” says Toyer. “We are now tasking the government with the same, that if we have an effective treatment for ALS, then we need to expedite that so that people living with ALS can have access to those drugs right now and not have to wait ... Somebody diagnosed with ALS today does not have the luxury of waiting five to ten years. They need action now.”
Though the specific date and venues for the event that will take place across the province have yet to be announced – due to park’s just recently taking reservation applications – registration is now open and pledge sheets are available to download online.
Delta residents are encouraged to participate in the surrounding communities’ Surrey or Richmond, which will be running the in-person event, or participate virtually this June.
To register for the Move to Cure ALS, visit www.movetocureals.ca, and you can begin fundraising immediately.
