2009 ALS tag days raises $100,000

On behalf of the Les Turner ALS Foundation, I wish to thank the residents of Buffalo Grove and nearby communities for their generous support of the recent Tag Days drive. Each year in May (National ALS Awareness Month) our volunteers coordinate a massive undertaking, planning donation drives in 40 communities throughout the Chicagoland area.

This July Fourth marks the 70th anniversary of Lou Gehrig's historic farewell speech at Yankee Stadium. To honor this anniversary, this year's volunteers distributed "tags" with Gehrig's photo on one side and ALS (Lou Gehrig's disease) facts on the other. All totaled, our 2009 campaign raised $100,000.

I also want to thank Shari Diamond for her time, energy and dedication to this effort. Without her ongoing commitment to the fight against ALS - along with the help of so many volunteers - the Tag Days campaign would not have been possible.

Additionally, generous sponsorship from 97.1 FM The Drive, VisoGraphic and Sta-Bil helped the Foundation minimize expenses and maximize visibility of this effort.

ALS attacks a person's muscles; gradually robbing them of their ability to walk, speak, eat and breathe, yet usually keeping their mind intact. While some symptoms are treatable, there is currently no cure.

Proceeds from Tag Days will help fund the local clinical care program at the Les Turner/ Lois Insolia ALS Center, two world-class research laboratories at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, numerous patient and family services and educational programs for patients, caregivers and health care professionals.

Founded in 1977, today the Les Turner ALS Foundation serves approximately 90 percent of the area's ALS population.

Thank you again for your generous contributions. Your support helps keep hope alive. To learn more about ALS and the Les Turner ALS Foundation, visit www.lesturnerals.org.

Wendy Abrams, executive director

Les Turner ALS Foundation, Skokie