CALABASAS HILLS, Calif., June 16, 2003 (PRIMEZONE) -- The ALS Association and its network of 38 chapters are holding an array of Lou Gehrig 100th Birthday Celebrations nationwide to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the New York Yankee baseball legend's birthday and to bring greater awareness to the disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), that took both Gehrig's life and his name.
"Through these birthday celebrations, The ALS Association is encouraging people across the country to join in the fight against ALS," said Michael W. Havlicek, president and chief executive officer of The ALS Association. "Each one of ALSA's 38 chapters has planned a wide range of activities to put the spotlight on this devastating disease."
To mark the importance of this national hero, ALSA's celebration is being held in conjunction with Major League Baseball, Minor League Baseball and individual teams.
"Major League Baseball is proud to lend its support to The ALS Association in its fight to find a cure for this terrible disease," said Thomas C. Brasuell, Major League Baseball Vice President of Community Affairs. "We hope this partnership helps draw attention to ALS as we reach out to our players, fans and communities to support The ALS Association."
Henry Louis (Lou) Gehrig was born in New York City on June 19, 1903. On June 19, 2003, America and the world will celebrate what would have been Gehrig's 100th birthday, honoring his magnificent baseball career and his unwavering courage as he faced the deadly disease that claims some 5,600 lives each year in the U.S.
Full-page announcements, featuring journalist Bob Costas, commemorating "Lou's 100th" will appear in major and minor league game programs between opening day and the end of the season. A specially prepared public service announcement by Costas will be shown during major and minor league games on stadium large screen displays. A once-in-a-lifetime event is being held at The National Baseball Hall of Fame & Museum in Cooperstown, NY with special events such as dinner with Hall of Fame members Robin Roberts and Gaylord Perry and VIP tours of the museum.
The work of The ALS Association gives hope to the thousands of people affected by this disease. Recent studies have given researchers clues to the process of the disease, which in turn, may lead to helping discover an effective treatment.
As part of the ALS Association's mission to find a cure for and improve living with ALS, ALSA encourages, identifies, funds and monitors worldwide ALS-directed research. This research to date has resulted in the development of animal models that provide a platform to test disease mechanism hypotheses and therapeutic compounds. Advances in gene therapy and stem cell biology have also opened new avenues of research. ALSA is participating in new drug screening trials underway on three new compounds to probe their effectiveness in treating ALS.
Advances on the scientific front are complemented by an array of clinical techniques that are assisting people with ALS and their families and caregivers in managing the challenges of the disease. The ALS Association's chapters assists with referrals for counseling, training and support on how to cope with this disease; provide clinical care regardless of race, color, creed or financial status through its nationwide network of ALSA Centers, and serve as the national information resource on ALS for the medical profession, patients and family members.
Reaching the first threshold in its aggressive search for a cure, The ALS Association's Lou Gehrig Challenge: The Campaign to Cure ALS recently hit the $10 million mark for research. ALSA launched the campaign in May 2000, with a minimum goal of $25 million. The Lou Gehrig Challenge is the largest fund-raising effort ever undertaken on behalf of ALS-specific research.
Campaign funds are used to support The Lou Gehrig Challenge: Cure ALS Research Program in which ALSA, guided by a small group of leading scientists that constitute the Cure ALS Advisory Committee, determines the key questions that need to be answered in order for a cure for ALS to be found. From there, ALSA identifies promising research and seeks out and funds the top scientists and institutions to conduct the research.
For more information on activities sponsored by ALS chapters nationwide, visit www.alsa.org/serving/100bday.cfm. This page shows a listing of activities by state and will link to the ALSA chapters' websites.
The ALS Association is the only not-for-profit voluntary health organization devoted solely to the fight against ALS. For more information visit ALSA's web site at www.alsa.org.
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Note to Editors: For a listing of Lou Gehrig birthday events in your state, please go to www.alsa.org/serving/100bday.cfm.