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 One event organizer, Lori Lessen, lost her father-in-law Alan
Lessen to ALS several years ago. Lessen noted that between
participants and people who came out to cheer on the racers, bid on
auction items, or join in the afternoon bags tournament, the number
adds up to more than the population of Emden.
Another event organizer, Betty Jo Lessen, also a daughter-in-law of
Alan Lessen, explained that raising funds is just a part of the
event - the focus is on raising awareness.
As defined on the ALS 5K awareness site, ALS or Amyotrophic Lateral
Sclerosis, sometimes referred to as Lou Gehrig's disease, is "a
progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in
the brain and the spinal cord." Though it does not affect the mind,
the patients are eventually paralyzed and often only survive three
to five years after diagnosis. There is no cure for ALS and
according to the ALS Association, the disease affects as many as
30,000 Americans at any given time.
 Lessen said the Les Turner ALS foundation, which receives some of
the funds raised from the event, is a leading researcher of ALS,
with its staff spending many hours each day researching ways to
prevent and treat ALS.
Several Logan County residents have lost their lives to the disease,
and many of their family members participate in the event as a way
to honor their memory.
Danelle O'Donoghue, who lost her relative "Punk" O'Donoghue to ALS
in 2014, states that the family has been involved in the event since
it began, originally running in his honor and now in his memory.
Tracy Olson and several other family members of Dale Olson, who was
recently diagnosed with ALS, ran and walked in his honor. Since Dale
Olson is still in the early stages, he was able to join the family
on the walk this year. His son Tracy says they have also been
involved in the event every year, but now it has more meaning.
Others who helped to organize the event have also had family members
with the disease, Julie Schleder, who lost both her mother Donna
Naffziger and her aunt Evelyn Minoff to ALS in 2007, has been
involved with the event from the start. Schleder says she is amazed
at the way the event has grown and all the support from the
community through volunteering and donating items.
Schleder and her husband own the Stagger Inn, which is the starting
point for the race, When the Stagger opened a few years ago, Lori
Lessen approached Schleder about helping to host an ALS awareness
event and soon recruited several others to help plan it. Like
Schleder, Lessen is happy to see how the event has grown, noting
that the number of participants has increased by at least 50 people
each year.
Boo Hanner, who lost her 32-year-old daughter, Michelle Conrady
Brown, to ALS in 2010, has assisted in getting sponsors since the
event began in 2012. She stated that people from as far away as
Colorado and Florida donated to the event. Hanner exclaimed that
seeing how many people respond brings tears to her eyes and stated
that she is thankful to see all the support from both sponsors and
community members. She finds the level of participation "amazing"
and said "I am so thankful to see all the support."
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Ashley Conrady Aper, Michelle's sister, "greatly appreciated" the LCHS
volleyball and football teams participating in the ALS 5K, noting that Michelle
played volleyball and softball all four years at LCHS.
Jennifer Bone, whose son plays on the Railer football team, stated that the
football players who committed to running in the event did not have to go to
their Saturday practice. Bone declared that it was a good way to support a good
cause while getting some physical activity. She said that next year, the
football team may challenge the basketball players to participate.
Speaking of challenges, this year a new record was set as Jackson Johnson, the
first place winner of the race crossed the finish line at just over 18 minutes,
beating last year's record of 19 minutes.
Once the morning race ended, events continued throughout the day with face
painting, a silent auction, 50/50 drawing, raffle, poker run, bags tournament,
and music played by DJ Holly Payne Moore.
These events brought people from communities one to two hours away. Danvers
resident Bob Waked, who paired up with Carrie Nowatney in the bags tournament,
was participating in the events for the first time and was "impressed by the
fact that so many people from a small town so affected by the disease are
involved in supporting such a worthy cause." He is proud to support the cause
and plans to come back next year.
Judy Brown and her family came two hours from Avon to play in the bags
tournament and also felt it was great to see so many involved. Brown has a good
friend, Frank, who died from ALS and has attended various benefits to raise
funds for the cause.
The event raised nearly $60,000 in it first three years with the support of
Emden and nearby communities. With the record number of people involved this
year, the amount of funds raised continues to increase substantially, and the
financial support helps fund the research that will hopefully continue to bring
researchers closer to someday finding a cure for this devastating disease.
[Angela Reiners] |
