RALEIGH, N.C., Oct. 6, 2003 (PRIMEZONE) -- The Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Association - Jim "Catfish" Hunter Chapter has been awarded a $25,000 grant from GlaxoSmithKline in support of The 2004 Field of Dreams Gala.
This grant will aid in the public awareness and promotion of The Field of Dreams Gala and enable the Chapter to provide respite care and augmentative communication technology to the ALS patients currently living in North and South Carolina.
The 2004 Field of Dreams Gala will be held Jan. 31 at the Washington Duke Inn in Durham, N.C. As of now, featured guests will include:
-- Mrs. Jim "Catfish" Hunter (Helen);
-- Dean Smith, legendary coach of the UNC Tar Heels;
-- Tommy John, a former NY Yankee pitcher;
-- Gaylord Perry, a member of the Baseball Hall of Fame;
-- Clyde King, former Yankees, Giants, and Braves manager;
-- Jeff Idelson, vice president of communication and education,
National Baseball Hall of Fame;
-- Harvie Ward, PGA golf instructor; and
-- Mark Roberts, news anchor and trafficologist for WRAL-TV, will
serve as the Master of Ceremony.
ALS, a neurodegenerative muscular disorder, affects as many as 30,000 people in the U.S. at any given time, with 5,600 new cases diagnosed annually. With no known cause or cure, ALSA strives to provide the needed resources to make living with ALS easier.
The Jim "Catfish" Hunter Chapter was named in honor of the late Jim "Catfish" Hunter, a North Carolinian, major league pitcher and member of the Baseball Hall of Fame. Hunter succumbed to complications of ALS in September 1999, after being diagnosed in 1998.
The Jim "Catfish" Hunter Chapter serves both N.C. and S.C., and is one of 38 chapters of The ALS Association; the only national not-for-profit voluntary health organization dedicated solely to the fight against ALS through research, patient support, information dissemination, and public awareness.
GlaxoSmithKline, one of the world's leading research-based pharmaceutical and health care companies, is committed to improving the quality of human life by enabling people to do more, feel better and live longer.
For more information contact Ashley Hurdle, via email, ashley@catfishchapter.org, or call toll-free 1-877-568-4347.