Les Turner ALS volunteers hit street for Tag Days

In honor of National ALS Awareness Month, hundreds of volunteers with the Les Turner ALS Foundation will participate in Tag Days drives.

These fundraising drives will be held throughout the month of May in approximately 30 communities across the Chicago area. Volunteers will be stationed at intersections, shopping areas, train stations, and other places throughout communities collecting donations to help fight ALS, commonly known as Lou Gehrig’s disease.

Look for Tag Days volunteers in the following communities on the dates listed below: Barrington, May 3-4; Buffalo Grove, May 24-25; Long Grove, June 2; Mount Prospect, May 10-12; Northbrook, May 17-19; Park Ridge, May 11; and Schaumburg, May 18.

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, is a terminal neuromuscular disease that attacks a person’s muscles, gradually robbing them of their ability to walk, speak, eat and breathe, yet usually keeping their mind intact. At any given time, approximately 35,000 people in the United States are living with ALS. While treatments and interventions can help alleviate some symptoms and prolong survival, there is currently no prevention or cure for ALS.

Founded in 1977, the Les Turner ALS Foundation is the only independent, publicly supported nonprofit organization in the Chicago area dedicated solely to the treatment and elimination of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).

The foundation is affiliated with Northwestern Medicine, where it supports two scientific research laboratories and a large multidisciplinary clinical program. Currently, the foundation serves 90 percent of the ALS population in the Chicago area with an array of patient services, such as support group meetings, professional in-home consultation services, and respite care grants.

For information, call (847) 679-3311 or visit www.lesturnerals.org.