Walk to Defeat ALS 2014

Team Thrivent Messiah at the 2014 ALS Walk

Once again this year, Messiah Lutheran Church supported the Walk to Defeat ALS.  ALS has taken the life of several members of our Church including Steve Pesto and Deana Glover.

Often referred to as Lou Gehrig's Disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a progressive, fatal neuromuscular disease that slowly robs the body of its ability to walk, speak, swallow and breathe. The life expectancy of an ALS patient averages 2 to 5 years from the time of diagnosis.

Every 90 minutes a person in this country is diagnosed with ALS and every 90 minutes another person will lose their battle against this disease. ALS occurs throughout the world with no racial, ethnic, or socioeconomic boundaries.

This crippling disease can strike anyone. Presently there is no known cause of the disease yet it still costs loved ones an average of $200,000 a year to provide the care ALS patients need. Help make a difference and donate or join a walk today.

Messiah raised money for our part of the fight with a spaghetti dinner fundraiser.

Spaghetti Fundraiser for Walk to Defeat ALS

This year, the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge has taken the Country and the Internet by Storm.  Millions of Americans have accepted the challenge so far.  Eight members of our congregation decided to accept the ice bucket challenge after the Spaghetti dinner.  Here are a few videos of their challenges.




Thanks to everyone who helped support this year's Walk to Defeat ALS.  As of the time of writing of this blog article, the ALS Organization has raised over $70 Million Dollars.  We are praying that this money will finally allow researchers to find a cure for this terrible disease.

Here are some additional photos from the Spaghetti Dinner and the ALS Walk.