Naperville teens compete in fourth 'Dodgin' 4 Lou Gehrig's Disease' fundraiser

Forty-eight teams of dodgeball players took to the gym floor Friday evening at Naperville North High School to raise money for the Les Turner ALS Foundation.

The high school students and others participated in the fourth annual Dodgin' 4 Lou Gehrig's Disease Dodgeball Tournament planned by Naperville Central High School sophomores Taylor Morrissey and Delaney Gibbons.

The girls began organizing the fundraisers in 2012 after the wife of their elementary school gym teacher was diagnosed with ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig's Disease. Their teacher, Chris Benyo, since has run marathons while pushing his wife, Denise DiMarzo, in a racing wheelchair.

Taylor, Delaney and their supporters call DiMarzo "an inspiration" for battling the disease, which decreases muscle function over time by affecting the motor neurons that carry signals from the brain to the muscles and tell them to move.

In its first three years, the tournament raised more than $40,000 for the Les Turner ALS Foundation. Organizers said they were hoping to raise another $20,000 Friday night.