The local fight against ALS
A local walk to end ALS – branded as “Walking with Archie” – will take place in the Thompson subdivision in Chesterville this weekend. The event has already more than doubled its fundraising goal, and is anticipated to be a far larger event than originally imagined. The event will take place on June 1 at 1pm.
Archie Robinson was diagnosed with ALS – formerly known as Lou Gehrig’s disease – in July of last year, and his wife, Kathy Robinson, reports that his condition has progressed rapidly. He is now totally dependent on a wheelchair. ALS is a neurological disorder that affects voluntary muscle control and breathing. There is no cure, but research efforts continue to search for one. “It’s not a pretty disease,” Kathy added.
Archie and Kathy’s original fundraising goal was $10,000, with $21,000 already raised as of last week. The amount raised continues to grow, and the couple could not be happier at the success of their initiative. It is not just about the funds, though. They also hope that the local walk helps to bring awareness about ALS.
The walk will not be “just a walk” – a band will be coming to perform live music, and hot dogs and salads will be provided as a “thank you” to the participants. A drone will be used to take pictures of the event, at the request of ALS Canada. Kathy estimates that about 200 participants will be participating, showing tremendous support from the community. Of all of the funds raised for ALS Canada, 60% are used to provide free equipment for those living with ALS, and 40% of the funds are used for research.
There has been much corporate support for the event as well. A sitting area was newly constructed by a local man for Archie, so that he could safely sit near the South Nation River during the event without risk of falling down the embankment. Between donations to make this sitting area possible, and donations to the Walking with Archie campaign itself, corporate sponsors include Chesterville Bowling, E.C. Carruthers & Sons, East Ontario Land Improvement Ltd., Foodland Winchester, Ted Moran & Sons, Aecon Utilities, Badger Daylighting, Molson Canada, Quickie Chesterville, Glengarry Outhouses, T.R.P. Ready Mix and Battlefield Equipment Rentals. A significant amount of the fundraising dollars have come from individual donors as well.
Archie and Kathy learned about the walk fundraisers when the subject came up during one of Archie’s appointments. They initially planned to do a “virtual walk” in the subdivision, until they found out that the proceeds from virtual walks are given to Toronto, and distributed throughout all of Ontario. The in-person walk will allow proceeds to be routed to the Ottawa division of ALS Canada, which includes North Dundas. June 1 is the date that Ottawa does its walk to end ALS, so Archie and Kathy chose this date as well.
Come out and support Archie on June 1! Donations to Walking with Archie can be made by visiting https://alscanadawalktoendals.als.ca/ontario/team-walking-with-archie.