Columbia ALS walk raises thousands of dollars to support those battling the disease

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS, doesn't have a cure, but that's not stopping fundraising efforts from the ALS Association to support research for a solution and support community members battling the condition.

On Saturday, over 100 people gathered at the Cosmo-Bethel Park in Columbia to raise money for the ALS Association and walk as a community.

"Today's walk is to create awareness and to celebrate those people living with ALS," Francesca Savage, the organization's managing director of development said.

Savage said about $55,000 had been raised, which is about $20,000 short of the fundraising goal, but more donations are being made over the weekend.

ALS, also called Lou Gehrig's Disease, is a fatal, neurodegenerative disease. John Cleek Jr. helped bring the walk to Columbia while his dad was fighting the disease.

"My dad really believed that he was going to beat ALS, kind of like he believes Missouri's going to beat whoever they're playing every week," Cleek said. His father passed away in 2022.

Cleek said he's hopeful there will be a cure one day.

"We've got to support it financially, do everything that we can to try to help those that are--they say they're close. There's a lot of great studies, a lot of clinical trials. Some of the smartest people in the world working on it," Cleek said.