SILVER LINING GALA IS GOING VIRTUAL
This year has brought about so many changes for the Evergreen Chapter. As we got closer to our new date of August 15 for the Hope Grows Here gala, we realized that an in-person event in Bellevue, WA would not be safe for a large group. We have transitioned to a 100% virtual event and now ALL can attend from anywhere in the chapter and beyond and THAT is the silver lining. We have renamed this year's gala the Virtual Silver Lining Gala.
Please join us Saturday August 15, 2020 at 6pm on a cell, tablet, computer or other device near you!This fun and inspiring 60 minute event includes a live stream of our auction program, a special key note presentation from Nancy Frates, 'Mother of the Ice Bucket Challenge', and messages of hope from Chapter support made possible by donors like you.
This fundraiser started as the Step Up to the Plate luncheon in 2014 and would have been it's first year as a gala. As in previous years, the money raised provides support for services such as free durable medical equipment loans, monthly support group meetings, Chapter Grant program, ALS advocacy, ongoing and individualized support from a qualified Care Services Coordinator and research for effective treatments and a cure. Please help us continue providing these important and needed services to ALS patients living in Washington State, Idaho, Montana and Alaska.
Registration is Free! All you need to do is click Register to Bid tab above and follow the directions below
Click START BIDDING in the upper right-hand corner. On the next screen, you’ll want to click on CREATE ACCOUNT. Just enter your email address then verify your address in your email account. (Don't forget to check your spam folder if you don't see the email to verify).Then select CREATE ACCOUNT in the green box and follow the prompts. Questions? Please contact Amara Bates at amara@alsa-ec.org or 509-863-4321
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“All I want to do is see my boys graduate from high school.” That comment was made by my daughter, a 52-year-old single mom with 15-year-old boys, the day she was diagnosed with ALS in November 2018. It started with a foot “sometimes not working quite right” and an occasional slurred word in September 2018. She now has had a tracheostomy with a ventilator, a feeding tube and cannot move or speak. This could be any one of us.
Every 90 minutes, another American is diagnosed with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), often referred to as Lou Gehrig’s disease. It is a terrifying, heartbreaking illness. Over the course of the disease, people with ALS gradually lose all voluntary muscle movement and most eventually die from respiratory failure. The average life expectancy after diagnosis is 2-5 years.
ALS is a disease that devastates bodies. But it also devastates families. The average out-of-pocket cost to care for an ALS patient from diagnosis until death is over $250,000. Most patients need at least 3 wheelchairs, a hospital bed and numerous other machines and equipment. Your home must be made wheelchair accessible which means no stairs or at least ramps. For many families that means finding a new home. Treatment, medical equipment, in-home care and other costs can lead people with ALS and their families to bankruptcy.
Money donated to the Gala this year will be used primarily by the local chapter to continue its care programs, which include loaner services for wheelchairs, hospital beds, communication devices, and other desperately needed medical equipment not covered by insurance; in home visits by our trained care services staff; and financial grants to help ALS families in need. In addition, donations will help fund support groups throughout Washington, Idaho, Alaska and Montana for not only patients but also their families, including children and teens. A portion of the money will also go to our National Office to fund research to find a cure for this horrific disease.
This is why we need your help.
Susan Schoos Shay
Board Member, ALS Association Evergreen Chapter 2020 Gala Committee Chair and mother of ALS patient
