In recognition of National Volunteer Week, we are shining a spotlight on some of The ALS Association’s amazing, dedicated volunteers, and highlighting the incredible work they are doing to support our mission.
We are forever grateful for the many volunteers working with us to create a world without ALS. Volunteers like Mike Koehler in Kansas City, Missouri make a big impact. Mike leads the volunteers for all three of their Kansas City events, including a gala, a golf tournament and the Kansas City Walk to Defeat ALS®. He organizes the volunteers and acts as their main point of contact, managing and assigning tasks on the day of the events.
Matt Miller might just be the most shameless member of ‘Team Finlay,’ having spent the last 10 years taking outlandish dares from family and friends to raise money for his cousin Jack. From sleeping on roofs to participating in water aerobics dressed like Jane Fonda, there is nothing Matt won’t do to help fight ALS.
Jackie could have been the The ALS Association Greater Philadelphia Chapter's volunteer of the month years before her mother's ALS diagnosis. Ironically, in 2013, her dedication to the ALS mission took on an entirely new meaning for her.
After my dad was diagnosed, there was no hesitation that our family was going to fight alongside him. So that meant it was time to volunteer with The ALS Association. We all knew right then and there that our volunteer work wasn’t going to save our father, but it was going to help others not feel the devastation we were feeling at the time of his diagnosis.
Decreased mobility is a challenge faced by every person living with ALS, and helping people improve their mobility is a key to making the disease livable. It’s also a key to empowering people to live their lives as they want while reducing or preventing physical, emotional and financial burdens, and to enjoy the leisure activities that enrich their lives.
Since Mark’s diagnosis in 2000, he has been committed to the fight against ALS on many levels. Over the past 21 years, he has advocated locally at the state level and nationally on Capitol Hill. He’s volunteered at innumerous events with The ALS Association Mid-America Chapter and served on the Chapter’s board and Services Committee. All who know him say his ALS diagnosis does not define him, instead it motivates him to do more and to give hope to others.
Jackie Heltz is a producer, filmmaker, and writer with a passion for issue-driven documentaries. She is also a dedicated volunteer in the fight against ALS.
May is ALS Awareness Month, an opportunity for the ALS community to work together to help educate people about this devastating disease and shine a spotlight on the impact ALS has on the families it touches. To kick off the month of May, we’re highlighting eight easy ways you can help raise awareness this month and beyond.
Mike will never forget receiving a phone call telling him that his best friend, Matt, had been diagnosed with ALS. The first event Mike attended for The ALS Association was a golf event in Janesville with Matt. That one event has now become years of walks and third-party events supporting The ALS Association Wisconsin Chapter.