A few raindrops weren’t going to dampen the spirits of the hundreds who gathered at the Roberta Bondar Pavilion on Sunday in support of this year’s ‘Walk to End ALS.’
As of Sunday afternoon, teams in the Sault raised a combined total of over $80,000 for the incurable neurological disease that affects several local residents and their families.
Among those diagnosed and in attendance for today’s walk included Freddie Pozzebon, the long-time chief building inspector with the city, as well as R.M. Moore Grade 2 teacher George Gomes and Sault resident Colin Atkinson.
When Pozzebon and his colleagues formed the ‘Steady Freddie’s Warriors’ team in the spring, the father of two initially set a fundraising goal of $10,000.
According to recent tallies from the ‘Walk to End ALS’ website, his team of over 100 members has officially quadrupled their original goal, surpassing well over $40,000.
“It’s awesome to see,” Pozzebon says. “We started off with an idea and it just kept growing and growing. I had a lot of family come from Toronto as well which is great.”
Forty per cent of the proceeds raised from the walk are directed to the national ALS Canada Research Program, while 60 per cent are used to provide community-based support to people and families living with ALS.
Tammy Moore, the CEO of the ALS Society of Canada, was at the pavilion on Sunday to provide opening remarks prior to the 5 km walk along the waterfront.
Speaking with SooToday following her speech, Moore says the city has done a tremendous job at raising awareness for ALS.
“The energy in the Sault has been fabulous,” she says. “The community just embraces and comes around for everyone that has been affected by ALS, and you can see it in the turnout today.”
Sunday’s ‘Walk to End ALS’ event in the Sault is one of 20 walks taking place in Ontario throughout the month of June.