Scarsdale Business Owners Co-Chair Westchester Walk to Defeat ALS

By Donna Rubin

The 10th annual Westchester Walk to Defeat ALS, co-chaired by Scarsdale business owners Mark and Donna Rubin, is expected to draw hundreds of walkers from all over Westchester and Putnam counties. The three-mile walk takes place Sunday, June 10 at Tibbetts Brook Park in Yonkers.

This year marks the walk’s 10th Anniversary and features more teams and walkers than the previous year. ALS officials said they are hoping to raise $150,000.

“We want to do two things – raise money and increase awareness of ALS, commonly known as Lou Gehrig’s disease,” said Dorine Gordon, president of the ALS Association Greater NY Chapter. “For years the walk has accomplished both tasks.”

Sponsored by the ALS Association/Greater New York Chapter, the walk raises money to support aggressive research initiatives to find a cure for ALS and local patient service programs.

“Our team, 'Poppy’s Pals' walks in honor of my grandfather, 'Poppy' Aaron Rosner, a long-time Yonkers resident and business owner, who died of ALS 25 years ago on June 13, 1987,” said walk Co-Chair Donna Rubin. “Not only are we honoring Poppy’s memory, but we’re raising money to help others currently afflicted with this disease."

Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, named after the New York Yankees great, is a devastating and always fatal neuromuscular disease that causes progressive paralysis of the muscles. The disease indiscriminately targets men and women from all ethnic backgrounds and age groups. The Greater New York Chapter funds research to find a cure, local ALS clinics, educational and patient programs, and advocacy efforts.

Approximately 5,600 people in the U.S. are diagnosed with ALS each year, which equates to 15 per day.

On June 10, the walk will also include entertainment, refreshments including bagels, coffee, fruit and water–and a tradition started several years ago–grilled hot dogs following the walk.

Check in begins at 10 a.m. with the walk officially starting at 11 a.m.

For more information about the Walk to Defeat ALS, please call 212-619-1400 or visit the Chapter’s website at www.als-ny.org.

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