Fiesta 5k Challenge Begins ALS Awareness Month

- Saturday, April 28, 2018 was a perfect morning to kick off ALS Awareness Month and that’s just what happened at the 12th annual Fiesta 5k Challenge. The event, which brings runners and walkers from across Georgia and the southeast, took place at Fowler Park in Cumming, GA and raised over $31,000 to benefit the Emory ALS Center.

The 5k race began on the track at Fowler Park and proceeded onto the beautiful Big Creek Greenway. All runners and walkers enjoyed the peaceful setting in this pretty area maintained by the Forsyth County Parks & Recreation Department. Dru Milton was the Overall Male Winner and Haley Tillery the Overall Female Winner. Overall Masters Winners were Seneshaw Asress and Mia Van Peteghem. A Fun Run followed the 5k race; children and adults ran up to four laps while spectators cheered for them the entire time.

Janice Overbeck Real Estate Team was the Presenting Sponsor of the race. Other sponsors were Control Southern, Inc., ADVA Optical Networking, Country Charm Eggs, MECO of Atlanta, Acapella Design LLC, All Exterminating, North GA Running Co., Tofutti, Blue Diamond, Pacific Resources, Andean Chevrolet, Sign Kwik, 1st Choice Sports Rehab, Health Source Team of Cumming, Pinecrest Academy, AGS LLC, and Kona Ice. Seven teams of fundraisers helped add to the total dollars raised, working for months to get donations from family and friends.

All proceeds from the event benefit the Emory ALS Center in Atlanta where they not only study ALS in the laboratory but also treat patients, providing the best ALS care in the Southeast. This combination enables clinician-researchers to gain a better understanding of the disease and gives patients the opportunity to participate in clinical trials and cutting-edge treatments. Their slogan, Celebrate Life, Imagine a Cure is what they do every day. For more information about the Emory ALS Center visit www.als.emory.edu.

May is ALS Awareness Month and the nonprofit organization, Cure for ALS, hosts the Fiesta 5k Challenge each year to begin the month-long advocacy campaign. ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis) is a universally fatal neuromuscular disease that can strike anyone without warning. It takes away the ability to move, speak, swallow, and ultimately breathe and the average life span after diagnosis is 2 to 5 years. There are approximately 50,000 people in the U.S. are living with ALS; over 500 are in Georgia.

The next event for Cure for ALS is the Terance Mathis Celebrity Golf Classic which will be held on Monday, September 17, 2018 at St. Marlo Country Club, with a pre-party event at Topgolf Alpharetta on Sunday, September 16th. All proceeds from the event will benefit the Emory ALS Center.