ALS, Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis or Lou Gehrig's disease, is a rapidly progressive and fatal neuromuscular disease characterized by degeneration of a select group of nerve cells and pathways (motor neurons) in the brain and spinal cord. This loss of motor neurons leads to progressive paralysis of the voluntary muscles. For more information, visit the About ALS section, or view our Educational Videos for information on specific topics, including lifts and home modifications and dental hygiene.

ALS Ontario is a non-profit organization dedicated to providing the necessary equipment and support services to people living with ALS as well as to provide funding to the ALS Society of Canada towards research for a cure. 

Announcements

ALS Ontario Plane Pull 2012
One Plane. One Rope. One Great Cause.

The first annual ALS Ontario Plane Pull presented by Bombardier was such a huge success that, this year, the ALS Ontario Plane Pull will take place again with thanks to Bombardier, likely scheduled for May 27, 2012. Big thank you to The Marketing Store which continues to help organize this event! Stay tuned for more information and start putting a team together to pull a plane for ALS!

Click here to view a video from last year's Plane Pull made by a volunteer - thank you, Kirk!

View pictures and full story here. Pulling together for those affected by ALS.

New Equipment Application Form

Over the past few years the demand for support through ALS Ontario’s Equipment Program has been increasing dramatically. In light of this we have taken the opportunity to simplify the equipment application form located on our website.

The key changes are in the conditions of agreement section on page 1 and the information provided on page 2. With these changes, the clients will no longer be asked to return a separate signed acknowledgement of receipt and responsibility for the equipment and, for the authorisers, a more streamlined process for providing the necessary information regarding the equipment. The proposed outcome is a clearer and more efficient process for the authorisers and one less request for the clients and their families to deal with.
The new form is available for use immediately. Clients will continue to receive loan agreements in situations where the old form is used. Any questions or concerns please contact Alexandra Olar at or Sarah Reedman at
 

Donor Advisory

People in the Cornwall area have reported receiving a telephone solicitation for donations in support of ALS. ALS Ontario DOES NOT use or endorse this method of fundraising and has not authorized anyone else to make such calls.

2010-2011 Annual Report Available

Check out the 2010-2011 ALS Ontario Annual Report for client stories, ALS Ontario services and achievements as well as financial statements.
The Annual Report is housed under Publications or click here to view PDF version.

ALS Ontario thanks KickStart Marketing & Design Inc., which donated their time and efforts in designing the ALS Ontario Annual Report for three years in a row! This valuable donation reduces our expenses and allows more support to our equipment and support programs. Thank you, KickStart! 

WALK This Way! Thank You for Another Successful Walk for ALS This Year!

ALS Ontario thanks all the Walk Coordinators and committees, volunteers, participants and supporters of the Walk for ALS this year! The Walk for ALS season closed Sept. 24th with successful Walks taking place in Belleville/Quinte, London, Thunder Bay and Stratford aided by beautiful weather and strong communities. View 2011 Walk for ALS pictures at www.facebook.com/alsontario.

You can still support Walk for ALS by donating online at www.walkforals.ca to help those living with ALS and fund research for a cure.

Hike the Trail to Prevail! Hike for ALS & Family Day

Hundreds gathered at Kortright Centre for Conservation on September 24 for the 2011 Hike for ALS & Family Day. Families enjoyed a 5 or 10 km hiking trail and participated in a scavenger hunt and "win it in a minute" challenges! Face painting, jumping castles, raffles and more were enjoyed by all members of the family. Vaughan Mayor Maurizio Bevilacqua applauded participants and comedian Judy Croon kept the event running smoothly as Master of Ceremonies. Thanks to all who participated, more than $80,000 was raised to support ALS Ontario's equipment program and fund research for a cure. View pictures from the 2011 Hike for ALS at www.facebook.com/alsontario. 

Brain Matters - ALS Ontario's Support of NHCC - New Video

ALS Ontario is one of the founding members of the Neurological Health Charities Canada coalition to raise awareness to much-needed brain research and advocacy. NHCC received funding in 2009 from the government of Canada for a four-year population study of neurological conditions. In March, the first-ever National Brain Awareness Month was launched in an effort to shine the spotlight on issues facing Canadians living with brain conditions such as ALS.

View the new Brain Matters video in support of ALS here.

Virtual Symposium - Webinar on ALS Management (now online)

Bright Donation from Sunnyside Community Corp

ALS Ontario wants to thank the Sunnyside Community Corporation for its generous donation of $75,000 in the name of Paralyzing Poverty, an online voting campaign that raised awareness to the level of poverty amongst those living with ALS in Ontario. The donation goes towards ALS Ontario's equipment program which assists those living with ALS maintain independence and dignity while living at home.
Featured in the photo are Ian McGregor, Jack Thorne, Sidney Cometa, Freda Saunders, Wendy Saunders, Scott McGregor and Bert Lynas.
 

ALS Ontario Provides Information on Medicum's Payer Access Assistance

Ontario Trillium Grants Received

ALS Ontario has been fortunate to be the recipients of three Ontario Trillium Foundation grants to grow our Community Development Program. Funding is for a two year period in support of corresponding ALS Ontario Regional Managers so they can assist ALS families, increase ALS awareness, connect with community-based healthcare organizations, provide education and advocacy as well as raise much needed funds to continue providing support after the Ontario Trillium Foundation grant period has been completed.Our Regional Managers help support clients and their families and build a solid fundraising base in the regions across Ontario. Through their dedication and hard work, our regional managers have raised ALS awareness in the communities that they serve.The following are regions which have received funding from the Ontario Trillium Foundation grants:

• 2009 - ALS Ontario York-Simcoe Region
• 2009 - Ontario ALS Parkinson Huntington Partnership Durham Region
• 2010 ALS Ontario - PT Thames Valley Region

In 2008, ALS Ontario received funding for a Volunteer Coordinator for the Greater Toronto Area to be shared with our partners at Parkinsons.Thank you to the Ontario Trillium Foundation - we could not do what we do without our generous supporters!


Helping People with ALS is Just a Click Away!The ALS Society of Ontario has partnered with OurGV Rewards to launch a new online fundraising toolbar!Within our toolbar is a Yahoo! powered search engine that does not replace your existing toolbar(s). It is designed to help us raise funds in a non-intrusive way at no cost to us, or to you! There are no pop-ups, spyware, adware or user tracking, and your privacy is protected.How does it work? Simply download the toolbar by clicking the banner below [view a video on how to download the toolbar in our Educational Videos section]:

The toolbar can be downloaded in Internet Explorer and Mozilla Firefox browsers. When you use our toolbar to do your regular web searching, you will get the same information results that you receive using your current search engine. Every time you click on a sponsored results link (the links are listed in bullet form in the shaded area at the top of the page and on the right side of the page) you raise money for ALS Ontario!And, if you buy items from ALS Ontario’s shopping mall, also linked from the toolbar, we receive a portion of the proceeds from your purchase! The shopping mall features more than 1,500 stores, including major retailers such as Canadian Tire, Sears, Westjet and Expedia.We encourage you to share this quick and easy fundraising initiative with your friends and family, and we’ve made it easy for you to do so: just click on the “Refer a Friend” link on the far right-hand side of the toolbar and you’ll be able to email the link to your contacts!By searching and clicking a few times a day – and buying items you were going to buy anyway, through our online shopping mall – you can help improve the lives of people with ALS and their families.

Watch Our Virtual Symposium on ALS Online!

On November 2, the ALS Society of Ontario presented a virtual symposium on ALS with the Ontario Telemedicine Network (OTN) and the ALS clinic at McMaster University.  Topics included the dynamics of ALS, respiratory management, psychosocial issues and best practices for delivering services to ALS clients and their families. If you missed the symposium, it is still viewable online at the OTN website. Click here to view the symposium.