We’ve added more photos of the Project A.L.S. benefit in Hollywood. See the slideshow below, and visit us on FlickR and join our group – this is where you can take and publish photos of the Move For ALS train once it leaves Astoria on May 25th…
To allow us to be in New York for a campaign video shoot next month, we have delayed the start of the ride by ten days. We now leave from Astoria, Oregon on May 25th, and aim to arrive in Brighton Beach, New York on July 25th. A more detailed itinerary is coming very soon, featuring an interactive Move For ALS map with fundraising and research goals, ALS hot-spots and more …
Hollywood moved for ALS on Wednesday night at the annual Project A.L.S. gala at the Lucky Strike bowling lanes.
The campaign met with great enthusiasm from the star-studded crowd. Many thanks to Paris and Nicky Hilton for their support!
We are nearly up to $30,000, and more exciting news (including a video campaign) is coming very soon. Join our mailing list and subscribe to our Twitter and Facebook pages to get up-to-the-minute news. Follow us as we strive to get people moving for ALS across the world.
We’re looking out for ALS patients across America who would be interested in joining our campaign and receiving a visit from us on our bikes as we ride across the country.
If you (or someone close to you) has ALS and live in Oregon, Idaho, Wyoming, Nebraska, Iowa, Indiana, Illinois, Ohio, Pennsylvania or New York, please reach out by replying to this post and sending us your details – click on the Title and fill out the box below. Or you can e-mail us directly at: info@moveforals.com. We will respond very soon.
Move with us and make history as we strive towards curing this devastating brain disease.
MOVE FOR ALS SPARKS GLOBAL GIVING IN THE FIGHT AGAINST DEADLY BRAIN DISEASES
World Historian Tony Judt Inspires Epic Bike Trek Across U.S. to Benefit Project A.L.S.
(April 15, 2010) On May 25, 2010, two young men will begin MOVE FOR ALS, a much anticipated two-month, 3600-mile bike trek from Astoria, Oregon to Brighton Beach, New York, in honor of eminent historian Tony Judt, who has ALS, (Lou Gehrig’s disease). The goal of the epic trek is to raise funds for Project A.L.S., which leads research toward treatments and a cure for the deadly brain disease. Major national media and social marketing campaigns are underway.
Saul Goldberg, a charismatic 24-year-old, started MOVE FOR ALS to honor his former professor and mentor Mr Judt. Mr. Goldberg and his friend, Augustin Quancard, are the cyclists.
“Saul Goldberg is a force. He epitomizes volunteerism, advocacy, and the ingenuity of his generation,” said Meredith Estess, president of Project A.L.S, which receives 100% of the proceeds from MOVE FOR ALS.
Project A.L.S. is promoting the thrilling ride across country via social marketing networks including Twitter, Facebook and Vimeo. In under three weeks since the website went live, MOVE FOR ALS has already attracted $20,000 in online donations: www.moveforals.com
“People from all over the world are donating $1…$5…$10. We’re hearing from supporters in Bangkok and Boston, Tanzania and Trinidad,” she added. “We haven’t seen a global outpouring like this before. MOVE FOR ALS is way bigger than a bike ride.”
MOVE FOR ALS was inspired by Tony Judt, renowned author of the current bestseller, Ill Fares the Land, and the acclaimed Postwar: A History of Europe Since 1945. Professor Judt has taught at University of California, Berkeley, Oxford University, and currently teaches at New York University. Almost two years ago, Judt was diagnosed with ALS, an untreatable neurodegenerative disease that is closely related to Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s. Experts say that breakthroughs in ALS research will inform approaches to all related brain diseases.
Every single dollar raised by MOVE FOR ALS through its website (www.moveforals.com) will be directed to Project A.L.S. research, including cutting-edge stem cell approaches, genetics studies, and accelerated drug screening. Event sponsors include Project A.L.S., Adventure Cycling Association, The New York Review of Books, Penguin, Garmin, Shimano and Ride the Zone.
Live coverage of the event begins on May 25 and continues through July 25, when Goldberg and Quancard finally arrive in Brighton Beach, in time for sunset and a swim. Fans may follow their cross-country progress live on the MOVE FOR ALS website: www.moveforals.com
The grueling MOVE FOR ALS route will take the duo from the Pacific, through the Rocky Mountains and down into the Great Plains, from where they will cycle across the Midwest and on to the Atlantic Coast. A tentative schedule of early stops includes:
May 25 – MOVE FOR ALS begins in Astoria, OR
May 30 – Portland, OR
June 3 – Hood River,OR
June 9 – Redmond OR
June 15 – Boise, ID
June 24 – Jackson WY
July 4 – Wyoming/ Nebraska border
July 9 – Omaha, NE
July 17 – Cleveland, OH
More details to follow.
For more information on MOVE FOR ALS and Project A.L.S. research, please contact:
Patricia Harrington: hcnycpr@gmail.com, 212-480-6940
Donate to MoveForALS online at www.MoveForALS.com
Subscribe to the MoveForALS e-mail list
Join MoveForALS on Facebook at www.facebook.com/moveforals
Follow MoveForALS on Twitter at www.Twitter.com/moveforals
Watch MoveForALS on YouTube at www.youtube.com/moveforals
ABOUT ALS
Also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease and motor neuron disease, ALS is a fatal neurodegenerative disease that affects adults of all ages. It is closely related to Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and Huntington’s. ALS targets large brain cells residing in the brain and along the spinal cord called motor neurons. In ALS, as motor neurons get sick and die, a person progressively loses the ability to move: to walk, speak, swallow, and breathe. ALS is usually fatal within 2-5 years of diagnosis.
ABOUT PROJECT A.L.S.
The mission of Project A.L.S., a non-profit 501(C)3, is to recruit the world’s best research scientists and clinicians to work together toward an understanding of and the first effective treatments for ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis). Project A.L.S. has raised over $54 million for research in the areas of stem cells, disease pathways, drug screening, and genetics. www.projectals.org
Thank You to The New York Review of Books for publishing Tony Judt’s Open Letter on Move for ALS in their current edition.
In under 3 weeks since the website went live we’ve received over $20,000 in donations. Thank You again to everyone who has Moved for ALS so far. We’re still only at the beginning. Please continue to move and shake: every dollar matters.
Have a look at Tony Judt’s excellent new diary in The Financial Times, and The New Statesman’s Cultural Capital blog on Move for ALS.
See the piece here
Tony gave a moving interview yesterday on NPR Fresh Air. Listen to it here
