Thank you so much for your support of Maddy's Mascots in Walk ALS North Jersey. This year will be our 14th year walking to find a cure for ALS. The money raised has gone a long way to fund research and to help those people currently living with ALS (otherwise known as Lou Gehrig's disease). For over ten years, I have been honored to be the Chairman of the Board of ALS United Greater New York (and its predecessor), to work with such amazing people who are driven to help find a cure for ALS and at the same time to help ease the burden for the patients living with ALS and their families. ALS United Greater New York has been run so well that year after year we receive the highest rating (4 stars) for a charity by Charity Navigator, the largest charity evaluation company.

As you may know, I got involved with the organization over 14 years ago when my mother in law, Madelon Rand, was diagnosed with ALS. Emily's family was unfortunately very familiar with the disease, due to Madelon's father, Allan, dying in 1968 and Madelon's sister, Rochelle, dying in 2002, both from ALS. We learned upon Madelon's diagnosis, that Emily's family carries the gene that causes ALS. So, my involvement in ALS United Greater New York became more about a race against time for us. I am 100% committed to this war against ALS in the hope that we can find a cure for this disease before it claims the life of any more members of my family. On April 25, 2011, Madelon passed away from ALS, but with your help hopefully we can make sure that for the Popowitz/Rand family ALS stops at Madelon!

Please help me to raise money by donating to Maddy's Mascots, so that we can use the money to fund the cutting edge research that is necessary to find a cure. Every year the research community has made amazing advances with ALS, but as of today, there still remains no cure for the disease. They are understanding a great deal about the disease and I am hopeful that with further research we are very close to a huge breakthrough.

Some Facts:

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 a person with ALS averages 2 to 5 years from the time of diagnosis. ALS can strike anyone regardless of age, gender, nationality, or ethnicity, although it is primarily an adult-onset disease. Currently there is no known cause or cure.

Being a part of ALS United Greater New York’s WALK ALS is the number one way to unite and fundraise for those living with ALS. Please consider supporting my efforts by donating through my fundraising page.

Your donation today will help fund resources and services to the local ALS community, help find new ALS treatments, and move us closer to a world without the disease. 

Please feel free to send this page to any friend or family member who might be interested in donating!

Thank you again for your support and I hope you are able to join Maddy's Mascots either in person or virtually on Sunday, June 9th (registration is at 9:00am and the start is at 11:00am) for the walk in the Saddle River County Park in Saddle Brook, NJ.  Again, if you are not able to join us, you can still be involved by donating to our team. Every dollar counts and Emily, Jonathan, Noah, Max and I greatly appreciate any support you can provide.

Thank you.