For Our Contributors

For all those who have made a contribution to the ALS Society of Alberta in the past all of the staff and the board of directors would like to extend to you a heartfelt THANK YOU!

Whether it has been through a memorial donation, annual giving, one time gift, payroll deduction or a contribution and/or participation in special events such as Bettys Run for ALS, the Walk for ALS and golf tournaments, your contribution has helped to make a huge difference in the lives of people in Alberta living with ALS.

The difference can be measured by a more than 50% increase in services provided to people in Alberta living with ALS.

This increase has not been due to an increased prevalence of ALS in Alberta but is tied partly to our population increase and partly due to more people - mainly physicians becoming more aware of ALS and being able to recognize symptoms early enough to properly diagnose people with ALS.

Even with this increase, there are estimated (statistically) to be many more Albertans living with ALS who we do not know about, or more freightening, who don't know of us. Many of these people may never have heard of ALS before and may not know that it is also called Lou Gehrig's Disease, Motor Neuron Disease (MND), Maladie de Charcot and/or Sclrose Latrale Amyotrophique depending on which part of the world you come from.

The main challenge in achieving our ultimate goal - being able to make every day the best possible day for people living with ALS in Alberta - is in reaching and educating health care professionals throughout the province and in the many different disciplines to speed up diagnosis and inform people who are newly diagnosed with ALS of the ALS Society of Alberta and our services.

Once connected, we have the resources to help the person living with ALS better manage and cope with their journey with ALS. This journey is always much easier to endure with the assistance and resources of those who are familiar with the disease and know where to get appropriate and timely help.

You may already know that the ALS Society of Alberta offers the following resources to people living with ALS and their families:

• Information, Referral and Home Visits
• Equipment and Assistive Technology
• Support Groups
• Awareness and Education
• Advocacy
• Funding for National Research

It is through your kind and generous support that we are able to continue to grow and spread awareness of ALS throughout Alberta and ultimately serve as many people living with ALS as possible.

A special thank you to our generous donors: