Young Faces of ALS Campaign Announces Second Annual "National Corntoss Challenge"

Tournament Proceeds to Benefit Research into Treatments for ALS, Lou Gehrig's Disease

CAMBRIDGE, Mass., April 2, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Young Faces of ALS Campaign (YFALS) announced its second annual "National Corntoss Challenge" fundraising event occurring in multiple cities this May and June in support of research toward an effective treatment for ALS, better known as Lou Gehrig's disease. This is a charity tournament where thousands of participants in cities from coast to coast will join in a day of fundraising by playing the popular tailgate game, Corntoss (a.k.a. Cornhole, bean bag toss, baggo or bags).

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This year's National Corntoss Challenge will be held in the following cities: Atlanta on May 12; Boston and Rapid City on May 19; Boise, New York, Chicago, San Francisco, Seattle and Washington DC on June 23. Each city's event will be run by local volunteer "champions" who are committed to raising awareness of ALS and funding research towards a cure.

"One of my best friends, Mike Winston, was diagnosed with ALS in 2008 at the young age of 24. He continues to fight this horrible disease and is a constant inspiration to me. I want to help him in any way possible," said Zach Freeman, champion for the Chicago, IL tournament. "ALS does not get nearly enough attention, and it is important to spread the word and fundraise through fun events like the YFALS Corntoss Challenge."

Each National Corntoss Challenge Day location will feature a day-long tournament, entertainment, food, beverages and prizes. The tournament entry fee is $20 per two-player team. In addition, each team that raises $100 will receive a free 2012 YFALS t-shirt and other benefits the day of the tournament.

"Corey Reich is a friend of mine from high school and was diagnosed with ALS when we were 21.  In the face of such a terrible disease, Corey remains the friendly, witty person he's always been. His attitude inspires everyone around him to be a better person, and to step up and help fight ALS," said Morgan Nelson, champion for the San Francisco, CA tournament. "So many fundraisers are fancy galas or serious, sad events. Corntoss allows ALS patients and friends to get outside and just have a great time, while fundraising and spreading the word simultaneously."

All proceeds from these events will benefit research at the ALS Therapy Development Institute (ALS TDI), a nonprofit biotech which specializes in the discovery, development and validation of preclinical candidate therapies for ALS. For more information about the National Corntoss Challenge and the YFALS Campaign, visit www.yfals.com or email [email protected].                                                

About Corntoss

Corntoss (a.k.a. Cornhole, bean bag toss, baggo or bags) is a lawn game in which players take turns throwing bean bags filled with feed corn at a raised platform with a hole in the far end. These platforms are usually made with plywood or plastic and are often decorated. A corn bag in the hole scores 3 points, while one on the platform scores 1 point. Play continues until a player reaches the score of 21.

About ALS

Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS, Lou Gehrig's disease) is a progressive, fatal neurodegenerative disease affecting approximately 30,000 people in the United States at any given time.  The average survival following diagnosis is only about 36 months, and onset can occur in teenage years plus every decade of adulthood.  ALS usually progresses rapidly, with patients losing their ability to move, speak, swallow, and eventually breathe on their own. Currently, there is neither a cure nor an effective treatment for ALS.

About ALS Therapy Development Institute

The mission of the ALS Therapy Development Institute (ALS TDI) is to develop effective therapeutics that slow or stop amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS, Lou Gehrig's disease) as soon as possible for patients today. Focused on meeting this urgent unmet medical need, ALS TDI executes a robust target discovery program, while simultaneously operating the world's largest efforts to preclinically validate potential therapeutics; including a pipeline of dozens of small molecules, protein biologics, gene therapies and cell-based constructs. The world's first nonprofit biotech institute, ALS TDI has developed an industrial-scale platform, employs 30 professional scientists and evaluates dozens of potential therapeutics each year. Built by and for patients, the Cambridge, Massachusetts based research institute collaborates with leaders in both academia and industry to accelerate ALS therapeutic development, including Biogen Idec, UCB, Aestus Therapeutics, MDA and RGK Foundation. For more information, please visit us online at www.als.net.

CONTACT: Mari Sullivan of the ALS Therapy Development Institute, +1-617-441-7220, [email protected]

SOURCE ALS Therapy Development Institute