The two causes we chose to donate for this year’s event are Team Gleason and JC Cares Foundation. One national organization and one local Los Angeles organization.
JC Cares Foundation – Jordan Clarkson’s non profit
For the 2018 Lace it Up for Charity event, the foundation aims to support organizations in the ongoing fight against cancer. The Clarkson’s have experienced firsthand the devastating impact of this dreaded disease when my father was diagnosed in January 2014 with a stage four, cancerous tumor. Fortunately, with the support of agencies on the front lines fighting cancer, my father’s life was spared. However, there are thousands who experience a much different outcome. The JC Cares Foundation is committed to families battling cancer and supporting organizations working feverishly in finding a cure.
All donations from this years Lace it up for Charity event will go directly to the American Cancer Society, Inc and its own Sandra J. Schulze Hope Lodge in Rochester, MN. The 60 room lodge offers free private suites for the comfort of its guests and their caregivers. Fostering a home-like environment, the Hope Lodge is equipped with a community dining room, kitchen, family room, library and laundry facilities. The Lodge also offers guests a wide variety of cancer programs and services that provide information, resources and support to ease the cancer journey. It offers free lodging for cancer outpatients and their families who are receiving medical attention at the nearby Mayo Clinic.
Team Gleason
As many of you know, TEAM GLEASON was formed by a retired New Orleans Saints football player who was diagnosed with ALS in 2011. This foundation is sports related like our event and it’s close to Sam’s heart. Sam has an uncle who has been fighting the disease for years and this foundation was one of the very few that actually assisted his family while struggling with the disease. We are trying to build more awareness of this awful disease while raising money for the many people and families that are negatively affected by it on a daily basis.
Interestingly enough many people don’t even know much about the disease. Below are a few facts about ALS and what it actually is.
ALS was first found in 1869 by French neurologist Jean-Martin Charcot, but it wasn’t until 1939 that Lou Gehrig brought national and international attention to the disease. Ending the career of one of the most beloved baseball players of all time, the disease is still most closely associated with his name. Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and the spinal cord. Motor neurons reach from the brain to the spinal cord and from the spinal cord to the muscles throughout the body. The progressive degeneration of the motor neurons in ALS eventually leads to their death. When the motor neurons die, the ability of the brain to initiate and control muscle movement is lost. With voluntary muscle action progressively affected, patients in the later stages of the disease may become totally paralyzed.
ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis) is a rapidly progressive, terminal disease that causes muscle weakness, difficulty speaking and swallowing and, generally, complete paralysis. Every 90 minutes someone in the US is diagnosed with ALS and every 90 minutes, someone in the US dies of ALS.
Most people live from 3 to 5 years after symptoms develop. How long a person lives with ALS seems to be related to age; people who are younger when the illness starts live slightly longer.
Reports show that about 20,000 to 30,000 people have ALS in the United States.
You can learn more by clicking here. I also recommend you watch his documentary on Amazon.