To the Editor:

Please join my team, The Flying Flapdoodles, for the Walk to Defeat ALS on Sunday, September 16. The Rhode Island ALS Association sponsors this event that brings people together for a fantastic cause, to support ALS research and patient services.

Short for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, ALS, or Lou Gehrig’s disease, is an illness that slowly weakens patients’ muscles until they are almost completely paralyzed. The disease can also prevent talking, eating, drinking, and even breathing, among other essential functions.

Every year, family and friends walk in memory of my father, Peter Cate, who passed away in 2009 after a four-year struggle with ALS. We organized our spunky walk team, The Flying Flapdoodles, in 2006 and continue to keep Dad’s spirit alive through the annual ALS walk.

This year’s walk will be at McCoy Stadium at 1 Columbus Avenue in Pawtucket on Sunday, September 16th. Registration starts at 10:00 a.m. and the walk kicks off at 11:00 a.m. There will be music, food, and plenty of raffles for all to enjoy!

If you can’t attend the walk, or would rather just send in a donation, you can mail a check to the RI ALS Association at 2374 Post Road, Suite 103, Warwick, RI, or visit the walk website at www.walkri.org. From there you can click on “Join a Team”, even if you don’t attend the walk, and follow the steps to donate.

I hope you will join us in making a difference for some special people who need as much love and support as we can give them. Last year the RI walk raised over $135,000. Let’s make the 2018 Walk to Defeat ALS the most successful walk ever!

See you on the track.

Matt Cate

Team Captain,

The Flying Flapdoodles

Warwick