Dear Friends and Loved Ones,As you probably know, our dad was diagnosed with ALS, a terminal progressive neurodegenerative disease, this past fall. Over the past few months, we’ve watched him courageously battle an incredibly cruel illness—one that currently has no cure. Just over a year ago, he was skiing down black diamonds and playing tennis. Today, he struggles to walk even with a walker and increasingly relies on a wheelchair. It is a particularly cruel twist of fate that our dad, the most active and energetic person we all know, is facing such a devastating disease.In the face of such a diagnosis, we racked our heads about what we could do and to find an agency in an incredibly powerless situation. Ultimately, we decided to run the Brooklyn Half-Marathon on April 27 (despite neither of us being runners) to raise money for two amazing charitable ALS organizations—the Robert Packard Center for ALS and ALS United. The first organization we are running for is the Robert Packard Center for ALS at Johns Hopkins University, which works towards finding a cure for ALS. The Packard Center relies primarily on philanthropic funding, directing 70% of its resources to external researchers. With a network of over 200 scientists from 61 institutions across nine countries, the Center fosters a collaborative, multidisciplinary approach to accelerate high-quality ALS research, focusing on disease biology and therapeutic development. The second organization we are running for is ALS United Greater New York, which provides critical support to ALS patients. The organization supports individuals with ALS who face financial hardship by providing grants for essential needs like medical equipment, home modifications, and caregiving services. ALS United ensures that people living with ALS can access vital resources regardless of their financial situation.

If you are donating from a donor-advised fund, please contact Vivian Banks at vbanks@als-ny.org or 212-720-3051 with your name, address, DAF institution, and indicate check or wire transfer.Thank you for your generosity,Chace & Grant Pulley