Les Turner ALS Foundation to Honor People Affected by ALS, including Rooney Family, at “Hope Through Caring” Gala

On February 25, 2017, supporters of the Les Turner ALS Foundation will honor the organization’s president Ken Hoffman of Deerfield as well as people with ALS (PALS) at the “Hope Through Caring” Gala. Held at the Loews Hotel Chicago, the gala will feature a balloon raffle, paddle raise and music will be provided by The Chicago Players. More than 500 guests are expected to attend.

As board president, Ken is a visionary leader committed to ensuring that someday in the near distance we will live in a world free of ALS. As the Foundation honors its 40th anniversary, Ken supports the intentions of the organization’s founders and helps move the ALS community closer to a cure. Having lost his mother Harriett to ALS in 2003, Ken leads with a personal understanding of the impact the disease has on patients and families. Ken is Senior Vice President – Global Marketing & Innovation of Signode Industrial Group in Glenview and, with his wife Melissa, has two children.

The gala also will pay tribute to people affected by ALS, including John Rooney, a Beverly resident who passed away from ALS last summer at the age of 56. John’s mother and aunt also died of the disease. A longtime journalist with The Chicago Law Bulletin, John suspected he had the disease after feeling a weakness in his foot.

As the disease slowly robbed John of his physical abilities, he remained committed to his career and family, and never allowed the disease to define him. The Rooney family is among several people touched by ALS who will be honored at the “Hope Through Caring” gala and the family’s story is shared through a video presentation.

The extended Rooney family has relied on the Les Turner ALS Foundation for services and over the years they have supported many fundraising events and awareness initiatives.

“We have a wonderful relationship with the teams at the Les Turner ALS Foundation and the Les Turner ALS Research and Patient Center at Northwestern. They have been critical resources for us and we try to give back, and now to be honored at the gala is a very meaningful gesture to our family,” said Meg Rooney, John’s widow.

The “Hope Through Caring” Award was established in 1988 to honor those whose commitment to the fight against ALS has helped raise funds for research, provide services for patients and families and increase public awareness.

ABOUT THE LES TURNER ALS FOUNDATION

The Les Turner ALS Foundation, founded in 1977, is Chicago’s leader in research, patient care and education about ALS, serving the vast majority of people with ALS in the area, offering help and hope when it’s needed most. One of the nation’s largest, independent ALS organizations, the Foundation allocates all funds to local research, clinical care and support services for people with ALS in the Chicagoland area. The Foundation’s full spectrum patient service programs include: in-home consultations, support groups, equipment loans, grants and educational activities. The Foundation offers hope for a future without ALS by supporting the Les Turner ALS Research and Patient Center at Northwestern Medicine, bringing together three research laboratories and a multi-disciplinary patient clinic under one umbrella.

ABOUT AMYOTROPHIC LATERAL SCLEROSIS (ALS)

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a rapidly progressive neuromuscular disease that attacks a person’s muscles, gradually robbing them of their ability to walk, speak, eat and breathe, yet usually keeping their mind intact. Every 90 minutes someone in the United States is diagnosed with ALS and every 90 minutes someone with ALS dies. While some symptoms are treatable, there is currently no prevention or cure for ALS.

To learn more about the Les Turner ALS Foundation, call 847-679-3311 or visit www.lesturnerals.org.