Tom Dore's Run the Runway Event to support ALS

5K Race to Benefits Connecticut ALS Foundation Taking Place June 21, 2019

ABOUT THE EVENT:

The event taking place June 21, 2019 will benefit the CT ALS Foundation. 100% of the proceeds will be donated in the name of Tom Dore. “The 5K and 1 Mile races will start at 6 PM and be held at Ellington Airport” said Nick Ricciardelli, the event’s organizer, and Senior Service Manager of Homestead Comfort in Ellington. “This unique venue was chosen because it brings together the best of two worlds that Tom and I had in common; the love of running, and the love of skydiving.” It offers participants the opportunity to not only run at a unique location, but also observe or experience the thrill of tandem jumping.” Ricciardelli has been excited by the level of both community and corporate support received so far. The event’s main sponsors are: Connecticut Parachutists, Homestead Comfort, and Swiss Cleaners, along with various other businesses in the community.

To take part in this family event or simply support it, click here.

ABOUT ALS:

ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis) is a motor neuron disease. Lou Gehrig brought worldwide attention to the disease in 1939, when he abruptly retired from baseball after his ALS diagnosis. While research has achieved a much greater understanding of the disease since then, the sad reality is that the cure still remains elusive. “Every day and every research dollar raised brings us a step closer to finding a cure.” said Ricciardelli.

Most commonly, the disease strikes people between the ages of 40 and 70, and as many as 30,000 Americans have the disease at any given time. Approximately 6,000 people are diagnosed with ALS each year. It’s a neurodegenerative disease that usually attacks both upper and lower motor neurons and causes degeneration throughout the brain and spinal cord.

As the disease progresses, it robs patients of the use of their hands, arms, legs, and their ability to speak, swallow, and ultimately breathe on their own.

ABOUT TOM DORE:

Tom Dore, an avid runner and skydiver, was born in Litchfield, CT. He served two tours of duty as a Marine in Vietnam. When he returned home, he attended Colby College and earned his BA in Philosophy. He continued his education at the Graduate Institute where he earned his Master in Consciousness of Evolution.

He spent his career at Northwestern Connecticut College developing the state sign program and working as an American Sign Language interpreter. He was the man to call if you needed your computer fixed, a substitute math teacher or a partner for ping pong. He was always a student first, saying, “You cannot lead if you don’t learn to follow. You cannot teach if you don’t learn to listen.”

Tom was an accomplished skydiver and instructor at The Connecticut Parachutists Drop Zone, a place with wide open sky to fly and a place to be free while the stakes are high and mindfulness is key.

Tom passed away April 7, 2017 from complications related to ALS.