What is ALS?
Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, is a neurodegenerative disorder that attacks motor neurons in the brain and spinal cord. As motor neurons die, the brain can no longer control muscles or signal them to move. The body becomes paralyzed while the mind remains unaffected. ALS is not rare; 350,000 patients have it worldwide, and approximately 1,000 have in Michigan. Patients live on average two-to-five years following diagnosis. There is no cure and no effective treatment.

What is the current state of research for ALS?
For many years, because ALS research was under-funded, the progress in finding a treatment or cure was stunted. In the past decade, as funding levels have increased, there have been amazing strides made to identify new ways to treat this disease, including through gene therapy and stem cell therapy. As their understanding of the disease increases, scientists are optimistic that effective treatments are within reach.

How can I participate in Ann Arbor active Against ALS?

• Get active! Come to our events or join our training groups!
• Have an active fundraiser idea?  We’ll help you do it!
• Make a donation – or create your own fundraiser and get others to sponsor you… we will help you do this!
• Spread the word!  Forward our newsletter… Find us on Facebook… forward our YouTube videos!

Current initiatives through A2A3 include:

• • Training for a Cure
    A2A3 has coaches and mentors to support individuals in their goal to be active: run a marathon, start regular exercise, take up biking or yoga. Training for a Cure helps participants reach their goal, and encourages them to raise money for A2A3 through pledges for meeting that goal.

• • Coaching for a Cure
    Each season, hundreds of volunteers coach teams throughout Ann Arbor and appreciative parents often collect money to offer their team coaches a gift. Coaching for a Cure makes information about ALS and about A2A3 available and lets people know that at a coach’s request, donations can be made to this non-profit.

• • Kids Active for a Cure
    A2A3 encourages children to get involved too. A2A3 has coaches ready to work with children to plan a group activity, or set a personal goal and then to accomplish it. Corporate sponsors have pledged their readiness to donate to A2A3 in support of children who meet their goal.

Where are the funds donated?
Bob Schoeni and Gretchen Spreitzer, in conjunction with the A2A3 board, determine which ALS research centers are doing the most effective, most compelling research. We aim to donate the funds so that they are used directly and immediately for cure-driven research.

Recipient Organizations Include:

• • ALS Therapy Development Institute (ALS TDI)
    ALS TDI is a nonprofit biotechnology company started in 1998 by James Heywood when his 29-year old brother Stephen was diagnosed with ALS. Starting in the basement of Jamie’s parents, ALS TDI has grown into the world’s largest research and development program focused exclusively on ALS. Thirty leading scientists and technicians work in a state-of-the-art laboratory in Cambridge Massachusetts. They run an open research program, sharing their research findings on a daily basis via the web with patients, doctors and the research community.  Their goal is to put themselves out of business as soon as possible by finding – or helping others to find – a treatment and cure for ALS.

• • University of Michigan’s Program for Neurology Research and Discovery
    In 2000, a group of neurologists and neuroscientists came together to form what is now known as the Program for Neurology Research and Discovery. Under the direction of Eva L. Feldman, M.D., Ph.D., Russell N. DeJong Professor of Neurology, the group has undertaken research in some of the most complex and challenging fields of disease. From ALS (Lou Gehrig’s disease) to the nerve damage that disables people with diabetes, they have made medical discoveries that are bringing treatments to patients. With a combination of mind power and technical resources found in few other places, the Program for Neurology Research and Discovery is leading the way in translating laboratory discoveries into new patient therapies.

Are donations tax-deductible?
A2A3 has registered as a 501c3 non-profit corporation. Donations are tax deductible to the full extent of the law. Please check with your tax preparer or the IRS for more information.

Individuals participating in A2A3 initiatives have the option to designate their donations to a fund which will be available to the Schoeni/Spreitzer family to help with future health care costs. These donations are not tax-deductible. Unused money in this fund will be donated to A2A3 for ALS research. Checks can be made out to the Schoeni ALS Support Fund and sent to A2A3.