Appalachian State University’s Health Professions Club is partnering with Come Back Shack to raise money to fight Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, or ALS.
The fundraiser will be held May 3, and will last all day. To participate, you just need to say that you are with the ASU vs. ALS Challenge when you order your food and 25 percent of the proceeds will go to the ALS Association.
The ALS Association is an American nonprofit organization that raises money for research and patient services, promotes awareness about and advocates in state and federal government action on issues related to ALS.
Travis Tabor, the president of the HPC and the founder of the ASU vs. ALS Challenge, said that most of the money will go to the treatment of people afflicted with the disease, although some will also go to research.
“I think most of the money will go to treatment, because right now it’s a very expensive disease to treat,” Tabor said. “But some will go to research, and hopefully finding a possible cure.”
In addition to the proceeds from the food sales, the HPC will also be selling shirts at the fundraiser, which will cost $20. All of the proceeds from the shirt sales will be going to the ALS Association.
This is the third year that the HPC has held the ASU vs. ALS Challenge, and each year has been a different style.
The first year, the event was an outdoor fundraiser comprised of raffles and silent auctions, and the second year was a concert.
The goal for the fundraiser is $1,000, which Tabor thinks they can easily surpass.
“We surpassed our goal both times for the past two years, and the second year we had to contend with snow,” Tabor said.
Luke Lippard, a senior psychology major and one of the event’s organizers, said they decided to partner with Come Back Shack both because of their popularity and their commitment to community service.
“Come Back Shack is known for doing a lot of fundraisers for the community,” Lippard said. “They’ve even done a number of things with us in the past. And everyone I know loves it, which adds a little extra incentive.”
ALS is a neurodegenerative disease that kills nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord.
As those motor neurons die, the brain loses its ability to control muscle movement, which eventually stops the ability to breathe.
“ALS is an extremely horrific disease for the person suffering from it, and it’s really hard to witness someone going through that,” Tabor said. “If you’re able to spend some money on fast food, or that’s what you’d be doing anyway, you might as well take part in the fundraiser, because you could be making a huge impact on somebody’s life.”
Story by Tommy Culkin, Senior News Reporter