The Fight Against ALS Walks the Walk in Byron This July

BYRON — Two years after launching an award-winning “Mini”-Walk to Defeat ALS program, the ALS Association Greater Chicago Chapter forges a new route in Byron, for the return of their in-person Walk event in the region.

The Walk to Defeat ALS is a day when the community shows support for the many local individuals and families touched by the disease. Others can participate from their own neighborhoods on a date and time of their choosing with their own Mini-Walk to Defeat ALS!

The event’s theme this year is “Sunflower Field of Dreams,” which plays on the use of the sunflower as a symbol of ALS awareness and the disease’s connection to baseball through Lou Gehrig’s diagnosis in 1939. Registration and check-in for the event will open at 8:30 AM and the Walk will begin at 10 a.m.

Everyone is welcome to this family-friendly event. Registration is free; and there is no fundraising minimum, but participants who raise $90 will receive an event t-shirt. Register for the Walk to Defeat ALS, sign up to volunteer, or donate at web.alsa.org/northernil or by calling 312-932-0000.

ALS, commonly known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease, is a devastating, fatal neuromuscular disease. Every 90 minutes, someone is diagnosed with ALS, and every 90 minutes someone loses their fight with ALS. Funds raised through the Walk to Defeat ALS directly support services provided in the area, including funding of the ALS Multidisciplinary Clinics, home visits, an equipment lending program and more.

The ALS Association is the only national not-for-profit health organization dedicated solely to the fight against ALS. The Association leads the way in research, patient and community services, public education, and advocacy — giving help and hope to those facing the disease.