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Coast to Coast coast-to-coast.qxp 6/21/05 2:08 PM Page 1 A L S S O C I E T Y O F C A N A D A • S O C I É T É C A N A D I E N N E D E L A S L A Coast to Coast | Summer 2005 Advocacy Day in Ottawa Advocacy Day in Ottawa 1 Tilson Introduces Bill 1 Canada and more than 20 volunteers from the Ottawa What Would You Do, While You Still Could? 2 regional office. Conducting Symposium - ALS Strategies for Quality 2 the training session was pro- of Life And Quality Care fessional trainer Lori We i r, Birthday Wishes in BC 3 unit director from ALS New Brunswick and ALS Canada A Substantial Gift to Fight ALS 3 board member. Assisting her Hike The Trail to Help us Prevail 4 was Mike Gardner, a profes- sional trainer, ALS Canada Tier 2 Research Chair 4 and ALS BC board member. Elizabeth's Concert of Hope 5 Also presenting at the ses- sion were ALS Canada advo- Vancouver Coastal Health ALS Centre 5 cacy members: Lanny Back row - left to right - advocacy committee members Lori Weir and In the News 5 Lanny McInnes. Front row - left to right - Conservative MP Steven McInnes from ALS Manitoba, Fletcher, Charleswood - St. James - Assinboia and Marcel Bertrand, Teresa Riverso from ALS ALS Canada Board Meeting in Ottawa 6 ALS Manitoba president and ALS Canada board member. Ontario, and David Cameron he ALS Society of 1st. Attending were ALS and Bobbi Greenberg from ALS Canada Elects New President 6 Canada advocacy com- Canada board members, ALS ALS Canada. Tmittee held a training Canada staff, ALS executive In Memoriam 6 session in Ottawa on May directors from across Continued Pg. 3 ALS Symposium - Unmasking ALS 7 P A R L I A M E N T house today to introduce leaves the senses unim- June is ALS Awareness Month 7 H I L L - David a bill that would honor paired and the intellect Tilson, MP for those who are dedicated is often unaffected. Tw o ALS Canada Award Winners 8 D u f f e r i n - C a l e d o n and work so hard to to three Canadians a day Brummitt-Feasby ALS House 10 introduced his learn more about this die of ALS. first Pr i v a t e disease in order to dis- " We are thrilled that the Genetic Testing for ALS 10 M e m b e r’s Bill that cover both the cause and Member for Dufferin- if enacted would cure, " Tilson stated. Reserve these Dates 11 Caledon, Mr. David designate the This Bill will ensure the Tilson, has introduced month of June as ALS Society Staff Announcements 11 month of June shall be this Private Member’s A m y o t r o p h i c known as "ALS Month" Bill to increase aware- Lateral Sclerosis New Research Grant 12 throughout Canada each ness of this devastating (also known as Cognitive Changes may be Associated y e a r. disease that affects 12 ALS or Lou with ALS thousands of Canadians Gehrig's disease) ALS is a progressive and beyond the more than Former Students Celebrate Life of Te a c h e r 13 Month. ultimately fatal neuro- muscular disease that 2500 people who live WALK for ALS 13 "As this issue is causes nerve cells to with it," stated David S. close to my heart degenerate. The volun- Cameron, national exec- ichannel Special Presentation 14 I was pleased to tary muscles weaken and utive director of the ALS stand up in the become immobile. ALS Society of Canada. Planned Giving 15 ALS. Three letters that change people’s lives. FOREVER. 1 coast-to-coast.qxp 6/21/05 2:08 PM Page 2 Coast to Coast | Summer 2005 What Would You Do, While You Still Could? On February 23, 2005, a recep- "Running" features a man on the showing. The purpose of Canadian celebrities - ALS tion was hosted at the Albany what appears to be an endless the campaign is to raise spokesperson and opera singer Club in Toronto by the ALS jog. As he stops to catch his awareness about ALS and the Jean Stilwell and actor Wendy Society of Canada to honor breath, the line 'Most people ALS Society's efforts to support Crewson were also present. BBDO Canada, one of the with ALS lose the use of their research towards a cure for The ALS Society of Canada is country's largest and most suc- legs in the first two years of this devastating disease. pleased to announce that cessful advertising agencies. the disease,' appears on Speakers at the reception BBDO Canada received a screen. The man then turns BBDO Canada has been work- included ALS Society of bronze award at the 2005 around and continues his run ing on a pro-bono basis with Canada national executive Marketing Awards for the as the campaign tagline the ALS Society of Canada director David S. Cameron, “What would you do, while since March of 2004 to you still could?” campaign. develop an awareness- The award was in the Public generating creative Service TV and Radio campaign. The public Campaign category. The service announcement marketing awards, with (PSA) campaign that roots that go back 83 years, had been created was are Canada's leading screened at the recep- national awards recognizing tion. excellence in advertising creative. The campaign includes two 30-second PSAs, The PSAs have aired nation- " Running" and ally on CBC, The Weather "Hugging." In "Hugging" Network, CTV, The Food viewers watch as a man Channel, Much Music, The hugs all that he comes Score and ichannel. In in contact with: a addition, the "Hugging" PSA police officer handing was aired in April at him a ticket, his disin- Famous Player Cinemas terested horse and the across the country in waitress pouring his English and French. coffee. As he hugs a Dr. Janice Robertson and Jack Neary two of the presenters The campaign has received tree, the line 'Most coverage in S t r a t e g y, people with ALS lose at the reception smile for the camera. Marketing Magazine, a n d the use of their arms in leading ALS researcher Dr. PR Canada News. the first two years of the dis- appears. Janice Robertson of the ease,' appears on the screen. Both PSAs are available in University of Toronto's Centre BBDO has also designed two As he hugs his sleeping wife, French and English and can be for Research in print ads which will be appear- the campaign tagline asks, viewed online at www.als.ca. Neurodegenerative Diseases, ing in newspapers, subway sta- What would you do, while you BBDO Canada president and tions and buses across the still could? ALS kills the body The PSAs were extremely well- chief creative officer Jack country in June for ALS first. Please donate, received at the reception, N e a r y, and Elizabeth Awareness Month. www.als.ca appears. with a heartfelt outburst of Grandbois who has ALS. applause at the conclusion of Symposium - ALS Strategies for Quality of Life and Quality Care David S. Cameron, national rent research, and to convey Talks were given by leading panel presentation addressed executive director of the ALS practical and technical informa- Canadian ALS Doctors Michael topics related to ALS resources Society of Canada, says, "The tion for people with ALS and Strong (ALS - current clinical in the community including purpose of ALS Strategies for their families." concepts), Colleen O'Connell speech therapy, palliative care, Quality of Life and Quality Care, (ALS as a treatable disease: the and a client perspective. a symposium on ALS is to provide The symposium was held on June rehabilitative approach to man- Speakers for the panel presenta- a unique learning experience for 14th at the Ottawa Congress agement), Tim Doherty (Health- tion included Clark Lavender health-care professionals in the Centre in conjunction with the care professionals: the electro- (living with ALS for nine years), presence of those who are cur- annual Canadian Congress of diagnostic approach to motor Susan Carroll-Thomas (speech- rently experiencing the disease, Neurological Sciences Meeting, neuron diseases) and Heather language pathologist), and Dr. to offer up-to-date treatment and was hosted by the ALS Durham (Hope for the future: Louise Coulombe (palliative information that is based on cur- Societies of Canada and Ontario. advances in ALS research). A c a r e ) . ALS. Three letters that change people’s lives. FOREVER. 2 coast-to-coast.qxp 6/21/05 2:08 PM Page 3 Coast to Coast | Summer 2005 Advocacy Day in Ottawa Continued from Pg. 1 Birthday Wishes in British Columbia Volunteers and staff of the ALS Society par- ticipate in annual fundraising events, includ- ing WALK for ALS, Hike for ALS and the Last February, B.C. resident McKinnley Concert of Hope, to create public awareness McGregor turned eight. Instead of birth- about the disease and raise funds to find a day gifts, he asked his guests to make cure. donations to the ALS Society of British Columbia. I urge all Canadians to donate to their local chapters of ALS so that the dream of finding McKinnley's father Dean has ALS and has a cure can become a reality.” been able to continue communicating with family and friends with the use of a Mr. John Duncan (Vancouver Island North, Dynawrite on loan from the ALS Society CPC): “Madam Speaker, the ALS Society of of British Columbia.
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