To the Editor:

This is an open letter to friends and family in Warwick and beyond to join for this year’s Walk to Defeat ALS, a fundraising event sponsored by the Rhode Island ALS Association that brings people together for a fantastic cause: to raise money and awareness for ALS research and patient support clinics, among other critical services.

Some of you might not know much about ALS, also called Lou Gehrig’s disease after the famous baseball player of the 1930s. Short for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, ALS is an illness that slowly weakens patients’ muscles until they are almost completely paralyzed. The disease also affects talking, chewing, drinking, and even breathing, among other functions.

My family is walking in memory of my father, Peter, or Pete to those who knew and loved him, who passed away in 2009 after a four-year struggle with ALS. We organized our walk team, The Flying Flapdoodles, in 2006 and continue to keep Dad’s spirit alive through the annual Walk to Defeat ALS.

If you would like to join a great group of people for a fun, purposeful mile-long walk at a beautiful location, please come to Confreda Sports Complex at 30 Bend Street here in Warwick on Sunday, September 18. Registration starts at 11:00 a.m. and the walk kicks off at noon. There will be music, food, and plenty of raffles for everyone to enjoy. Last year the event raised $96,447.41, our most successful walk to date!

If you cannot attend the walk or would rather send in a donation, you can mail a check to the RI ALS Association at 2915 Post Road, Warwick, RI, or visit the walk website at http://web.alsa.org/site/TR?fr_id=7372&pg=entry. From there you can click on “Register” to join The Flying Flapdoodles, or any team you wish, even if you do not walk, or simply click “Donate” to send in your contribution.

Please join us in making a difference in the lives of some special people who deserve as much love and support as we can give them. We want to make the 2011 Walk to Defeat ALS the RI ALS Association’s most successful walk ever!

See you on the track!

Matthew Cate
Warwick