Spectators were ecstatic about the football game hosted on September 2, 2022, at the Fredericton High School (FHS) home field nicknamed “The Jungle”. Bleachers were full alongside students and parents in lawn chairs and blankets taking in the game. This was the first game of the year for both the FHS and ESA varsity boys' football teams. The game was a pre-season scrimmage fundraiser for the Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) Society of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia.
Fredericton Family Impacted
A local football mom involved in the athletics community was diagnosed with ALS earlier this year. Since then, numerous fundraisers have been hosted to help support her needs for support, equipment, treatment, accommodations, and travel.
When FHS Black Kats heard the news, they wanted to do their part to help raise awareness and funds as both are needed to help fight this disease.
Today, there is no cure for ALS, although the pace of drug research has accelerated greatly since the Ice Bucket Challenge.
FHS and ESA Fundraising Teamwork
FHS Black Kats took to social media. The Captains of the FHS Black Kats Football team; Ray Liston, Jace Taylor, Henry O’Riley, and Hunter Pearson had a wide social media reach as they challenged the Captains of the ESA Castors Varsity Football team in an effort to raise awareness.
FHS offered to host a scrimmage pre-season game between the Black Kats and the Castors in honour of Janet Tremblay. Then, all proceeds would go towards the ALS Society of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia.
Using Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, both schools shared the invitation to the pre-season game and details of the cause it was supporting.
Students raised money by using different fundraising tactics: admission by donation, a canteen, 50/50 tickets, and face painting by donation. The winner of the 50/50 draw even passed along their winnings back to the pot as a donation to the cause.
ESA beat FHS in the scrimmage game while still achieving a fun and successful fundraiser, raising $3000 towards ALS.
What is ALS?
ALS stands for Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, also known as Motor Neuron Disease (MND) or Lou Gehrig’s disease after a famous baseball player. The disease destroys the motor neurons which are an important link in the nervous system. Motor neurons send messages to your voluntary muscles — muscles you control like your arms, hands, and legs — as opposed to involuntary muscles like your heart.
In 90% of cases, ALS occurs randomly in the general population. In only 5 – 10% of cases, the disease is inherited and known as familial ALS. It is a rare disease: out of every 100,000 people, 6 – 8 will be diagnosed with ALS.
Every case of ALS progresses differently. There is currently no cure, but having a support system, a positive mindset and education are critical tools.
For more: https://alsnbns.ca/en/what-is-als/
ALS Society NB / NS
ALS Society New Brunswick and Nova Scotia help families and those living with ALS by advocating on behalf of individual needs and supporting overall health management and resources.
It is the fundamental belief of the organization that “everyone deserves the chance to live beyond their limits, courageously and boldly, to find joy, to overcome, to celebrate, to always LIVE STRONG."
For more information, check out their Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ALSNBNS
How You Can Help
ALS NB & NS is a non-profit organization not funded by any level of government. They continue to support people living with ALS and rely on the help of our communities. If you would like to contribute, see https://alsnbns.ca/en/donate/ or help raise awareness and funds by participating in the well-known Ice Bucket Challenge.
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