Walk to Defeat ALS® at Forest Park

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact:

Angela Rickard

The ALS Association St. Louis Regional Chapter

314.432.7257

arickard@alsastl.org

Walk to Defeat ALS® at Forest Park

St. Louis, MO -- May 15, 2011, 2011 - The ALS Association St. Louis Regional Chapter's Annual St. Louis Walk to Defeat ALS® will be held on Saturday, June 25, 2011, at Forest Park. Enjoy music provided by the Lightnin' Bottle Band. Teams and individuals can register for the Walk online at www.walktodefeatals.org, by calling The Association's office at 314.432.7257 or at the Walk from 9:00 -- 10:00 am. The Walk begins at 10:00 am. There is a 1 and 3-mile route, but participants do need to walk the entire route to participate. All participants will receive a Walk to Defeat ALS® t-shirt for raising $25 or more.

The Walk, which starts and finishes in front of the Visitor/Education Center in Forest Park, is one of 180 walks scheduled this year by ALS Association Chapters nationwide to increase awareness for ALS (Lou Gehrig's Disease) and raise funds for local patient programs and national research. The St. Louis Chapter's additional 2011 walks are in Peoria, IL and Springfield, IL. This year's goal is to raise over $300,000 at the St. Louis Walk to Defeat ALS®.

Over the last year the number of patients The ALS Association St. Louis Regional Chapter serves increased approximately 13%. The Association provides patients and families with respite care; equipment loan, family mentor, augmentative communication and assistive technology programs; nutritional supplement, transportation and emergency assistance. Caregiver recognition, community partnership programs, and a pen pal program for children are also provided. The Association has provided information and education to over 2,000 in the medical community through healthcare newsletters, in-services, seminars and various mailings. The ALS Association St. Louis Regional Chapter provides programs and services, at no cost, to ALS patients and their families in Eastern Missouri as well as Central and Southern Illinois.

Each year, approximately 6,000 Americans will hear the frightening words, "You have ALS," and approximately 6,000 Americans will die from ALS each year. Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, more commonly known as Lou Gehrig's Disease, is a progressive, fatal neuromuscular disease that slowly robs the body of its ability to walk, speak, swallow, and breathe. ALS has no racial, ethnic or socioeconomic boundaries. There is currently no cure for ALS and the cause is undetermined. ALS is usually fatal within two to five years after diagnosis.

For additional information about the St. Louis Walk to Defeat ALS® on June 25, 2011, please contact Angela Rickard, Development Associate, at 314.432.7257 or arickard@alsastl.org

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