Chris Pendergast, ALS "Ride for Life" Wheelchair Journey Continues This Week, Visiting Philadelphia Monday and Tuesday

Philadelphia, PA, May 8, 2017 (Newswire.com) - ALS Ride for Life organization, led by ALS patient and Founder Chris Pendergast, continues the 233-mile ALS Ride for Life wheelchair journey this week. Monday, May 8th, the Ride for Life organization will spend time in Philadelphia, distributing ALS awareness materials. Tuesday, May 9th, the organization will be in Wilmington to meet with Mayor Michael Purzycki, who will present an ALS Awareness proclamation. Chris Pendergast will also be recognized by the Philadelphia Phillies organization in a pregame ceremony, prior to the Phillies-Mariners game Tuesday, May 9th, at Citizen Bank Ballpark.

Accompanied by a team of family and supporters, his 233-mile ride began this past Friday at Yankee Stadium and marks the 20th Anniversary of the Annual ALS Ride for Life to create awareness and raise research funds to find a cure for Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS). Tremendous community support was displayed with students, bands and local police and fire department escorts. From the streets of New York across the George Washington Bridge into New Jersey, the ride stopped in Metuchen and Sayreville, N.J., where Mayors Peter Cammarano and Kennedy O’Brien presented ALS Awareness Day proclamations and support.

"I was blessed with a slow progression and lived well beyond the average prognosis of a few years. I spent this gift of time working to find a cure, helping patients and educating others about ALS. But I cannot do it alone, I need everyone's help. Please make a donation or 'buy a mile' so I can get to Washington, DC, and back home to my family!"

Chris Pendergast, ALS Patient and Founder, ALS Ride for Life

Founded in 1997, Ride for Life began when Chris Pendergast, who was diagnosed with ALS in 1993, decided to take action against the incurable and fatal disease. Each May, during ALS Awareness Month, Pendergast has ridden for the past 19 years. Through the years, he created tremendous awareness, raising $7 million for research, patient services and family support as well as providing the ALS community with important information. He provides patients with genuine inspiration.

Cure ALS Ride for Life is an opportunity for patients and supporters in all communities along the route to accompany Chris Pendergast and make a difference by creating awareness. For those unable to participate in the journey, they can show support by donating to the “Buy a Mile” campaign on the charity’s website at www.ALSrideforlife.org or sharing the ALS Ride for Life Facebook page.

Additional information can be obtained by contacting the ALS Ride for Life Office at: [email protected]. 

Additional information during THE RIDE FOR LIFE journey, including interviews and photos, can be obtained by contacting ALS Ride for Life Board Vice Chairman Dick Iannuzzi (Cell: (631) 352-8998. Email: [email protected]) from May 4-15, 2017.

About ALS Ride for Life: Founded in 1997 and incorporated as a tax-exempt charity according to IRS regulations in 1999. Under the articles of incorporation, our charity serves the ALS community. It is a patient-driven, primarily volunteer organization. Its missions are to: Raise research funds to find a cure for Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), support patients and their families through patient services and raise public awareness along with providing the community with the latest ALS news, information, and inspiration.

Source: ALS Ride for Life, Inc.