
We took some inspiration from the Falcons and Saints and are working together to raise funds and awareness to help those battling ALS.
As we all know, the Saints are Public Enemy No. 1 in the eyes of Falcons fans. But some things are much bigger than football.
That’s why I’m delighted to announce that our Saints community, Canal Street Chronicles, is teaming up with The Falcoholic for a friendly competition to help Team Gleason and Tackle ALS combat the deadly disease of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as ALS or Lou Gehrig’s Disease.
The Falcons and Saints recently announced that they’ll be doing a 50/50 raffle at each of the teams’ matchups this season with the proceeds going to Steve Gleason’s Team Gleason and Tim Green’s Tackle ALS. And The Falcoholic and Canal Street Chronicles are launching fundraisers for each foundation starting on Sunday, Nov. 26, 2023 and running through the teams’ second matchup, the final game of the season on Jan. 7, 2024.
This weekend, there is more at play than a rivalry @timgreenbooks & @SteveGleason are partnering with @MassGeneralNews to #TackleALS pic.twitter.com/f7tZygfgie
— Atlanta Falcons (@AtlantaFalcons) November 21, 2023
Our goal is to raise $50k for each foundation. Here’s how it works:
Donate directly to the foundation of your choice. Donations to Tackle ALS will be credited toward The Falcoholic’s goal, and donations to Team Gleason will be credited toward Canal Street Chronicles’ goal. Click here to donate to Tackle ALS (which goes to the Sean M. Healey & AMG Center for ALS at Massachusetts General Hospital), and click here to donate to Team Gleason. Team Gleason and Mass General are 501(c)(3) charitable organizations and your gifts are tax-deductible to the extent permitted by law.
Check back here weekly for updated fundraising totals and to see where each community stands in relation to the goal.
Help us spread the word! Share this post on your own personal social media if you’re so inclined!
ALS is a devastating disease that I’ve unfortunately had personal experience with.
My mom’s childhood best friend, Suzy Van Meter, was a spitfire. She was wickedly funny, super competitive, optimistic, and even when she was fighting ALS, while she could still speak, she greeted everyone with the biggest smile she could muster and a “How the hell are ya?”
The end stages of this disease robbed her of her ability to walk, speak, eat, and eventually to breathe on her own. But much like Steve Gleason and Tim Green, she didn’t let the disease crush her life. She kept her sense of humor and her orneriness to the very end.
I’ve kicked off this fundraiser with a donation to each foundation in Suzy’s memory, and I hope that you all will join me in this effort to raise awareness and funds for research, technological assistance, and hopefully a cure for this brutal disease through these two worthy organizations.
About Tackle ALS:
Tackle ALS was started in 2018 by former Atlanta Falcons linebacker Tim Green in partnership with the Sean M. Healey & AMG Center for ALS at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH). Tackle ALS is not a foundation, so every dollar donated goes directly to MGH. Tackle ALS and the Healey & AMG Center are dedicated to the critically important global initiative to accelerate bringing scientific discoveries to ALS patients through innovative trial approaches. Increasing access to effective treatments for people with ALS is a primary shared goal. Identifying effective therapies during these trials brings us closer to FDA approval and the opportunity to make a difference for individuals living with ALS, and our ultimate goal of finding the cures.
Green, in addition to being a dominant defender for the Falcons for eight years, has had multiple novels land on the New York Times’ bestseller list, and is an attorney, a broadcaster, a TV host, and a husband, dad and grandfather. He’s a Renaissance man who happens to have ALS, and he’s fighting it with everything he’s got while also helping to pave a gentler path for others living with the disease through Tackle ALS.
About Team Gleason:
Founded by former New Orleans Saints player Steve Gleason after his ALS diagnosis in 2011, Team Gleason is dedicated to enhancing the lives of individuals living with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS). At its core, the foundation is on a mission to deliver innovative technology and essential equipment, all while empowering a higher quality of life for those affected by ALS. As the largest provider of technology to the ALS community, Team Gleason stands at the forefront of delivering cutting-edge solutions that are making a profound impact on the lives of those facing the challenges of this relentless disease.
If you’re unfamiliar with Gleason’s story (or even if you are familiar with it), I highly recommend the movie Gleason, which is available with your Amazon Prime subscription. I reviewed it for SB Nation when it was released, and I went through an entire box of tissues between watching the movie and writing about it.
Both of these organizations are doing incredibly important work, and while I’m a very competitive person and I’d love to see The Falcoholic community hit that $50k goal faster than Canal Street Chronicles does, both organizations are extremely deserving of our donations and will put funds raised to excellent use helping to extend life expectancy and improve the quality of life for people living with ALS.
Tell your friends, tell your family … heck, tell your enemies! If the Falcons and Saints can come together on this, the rest of us have no excuse.