ALS Chapter To Host Walk For Virginia Tech Father

The Washington D.C./Maryland/Virginia chapter of the ALS Association is holding a Walk to Defeat ALS event Sunday, Nov. 1 at 10 a.m. in the Old Folk Life Festival Area, located in downtown Washington, D.C.

Walk to Defeat ALS is the ALS Association’s national signature event, in which patients, families, and friends join together to raise money and awareness for the Association’s research and community-based patient services programs, according to information from the group.

Fuller Friends, a team participating in this event, will walk on behalf of Wayne Fuller, 49, an ALS patient and a Virginia Tech student’s father.

ALS, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease, is a progressive, fatal, neurodegenerative disease caused by the degeneration of motor neurons, the nerve cells in the central nervous system that control voluntary muscle movement, according to the organization's definitions.

According to Wayne Fuller's daughter Jessica, 20, a junior at Virginia Tech, he was diagnosed with ALS in December 2005. “We started doing the Walk for my dad in the Fall of 2006, and have done it each year,” Jessica Fuller said.

Last year, Fuller Friends consisted of 547 team members and raised $94,915. This year, the Fullers hope to raise even more money. “Our fundraising goal for this year is $100,000, and it has been for the past two years,” Jessica Fuller said.

In 2008, the Fullers were the Washington, D.C. ALS Family of the Year for Wayne Fuller’s outstanding efforts with raising money, setting national and chapter records, such as: most money raised, most walkers and best T-shirt design.

The Fuller Friends T-shirt AP is designed every year by Brew-Thru, a well-known drive-thru convenience store company located throughout the Outer Banks, N.C.

Because Fuller has been a huge Brew-Thru fan since the chain's opening in the 1970s, Brew-Thru happily obliged to design the Fuller Friends' T-shirts, according to Michelle Pruitt, Brew-Thru vice president of franchise sales. “Holly Olson, Wayne’s sister, contacted me a few years ago and spoke with (me) about producing some shirts for them. She inquired… if we’d be willing to produce shirts for them. Brew-Thru was pleased to produce shirts for such an avid fan as well as supporting a wonderful cause,” Pruitt said.

Corporate sponsors for this event include Booz Allen Hamilton, Permobil, Verizon, Dominion Power, Buffalo Wild Wings Grill & Bar, Maggiano’s Little Italy, Fiji Water and many more.

If you are interested in participating in this event, being a virtual walker or donating money towards Fuller Friends or this cause, please visit http://fightals.alsinfo.org/.