On May 24, McDonald’s Family Foods in Vermilion hosted a barbeque raising $1,050 to support the Alberta ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis) Society. The McDonald Family will be joined by other Flamand Fighters team members in Edmonton on June 9, to take part in the ALS Walk. Last year, the Flamand Fighters team raised $25,000 at the walk in Edmonton and the goal this year is to beat last year’s total. “As some of you may know, my Mom (Patsy Lee Brooks) was diagnosed with ALS in November 2016, and she fought hard but lost her battle on March 24, 2018. It is an ugly disease and affects so many people across Alberta, Canada & the world. Thank you to everyone that came out to support McDonald’s Family Foods first fundraising barbeque of the year, as well as the volunteers - family and friends. It was a huge success, and your contribution truly makes a difference in the ALS community. ALS is a rapid, always fatal neurodegenerative disease. It attacks the nerves that the body would normally use to send messages from the brain to the muscle, resulting in weakness and wasting. Eventually, the individual with ALS is left completely immobilized, with loss of speech and eventually an inability to swallow and breathe. There is no known cause or cure for this devastating disease – yet,” said Angie McDonald. According to walkforals.ca, 40 per cent of proceeds will fund research, and 60 per cent will support client services, as a person with ALS can require equipment and care valued at more than $240,000. Along with other family and friends Angie’s dad, Randy Brooks, was in Vermilion for the event and said, “It’s been a perfect evening for the barbeque. We would like to thank the community for the support; it was fantastic. I can’t say enough things about the ALS Society and how supportive they’ve been.” To donate to the Flamand Fighters, you can visit https://secure.e2rm.com/registrant/FundraisingPage.aspx?EventID=235511&LangPref=en-CA&RegistrationID=4034352#&panel1-2.