The ALS Society of Canada is a registered,

not-for-profit A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

organization. ALS Canada, founded in 1977, is a national voluntary health organization dedicated to the fight against

amyotrophic lateral sclerosis Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as motor neuron disease (MND) or Lou Gehrig's disease, is a neurodegenerative disease that results in the progressive loss of motor neurons that control voluntary muscles. ALS is the most comm ...

(ALS), also known as

Lou Gehrig Henry Louis Gehrig (born Heinrich Ludwig Gehrig ; June 19, 1903June 2, 1941) was an American professional baseball first baseman who played 17 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the New York Yankees (1923–1939). Gehrig was renowned f ...

's disease, and to providing support for those living with ALS. ALS Canada is committed to supporting research towards a cure for ALS, supporting the

provincial Provincial may refer to: Government & Administration * Provincial capitals, an administrative sub-national capital of a country * Provincial city (disambiguation) * Provincial minister (disambiguation) * Provincial Secretary, a position in Can ...

ALS societies in their provision of quality care for persons living with ALS, and building public awareness of ALS and its impact.

Research

The mission of the ALS Society of Canada is to fund research for a cure for ALS. Since 2000, ALS Canada has been one of the partners of the Neuromuscular Research Partnership (NRP), which is a collaboration between the

Canadian Institutes of Health Research The Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR; french: Instituts de recherche en santé du Canada; IRSC) is a federal agency responsible for funding health and medical research in Canada. Comprising 13 institutes, it is the successor to the M ...

(CIHR), Muscular Dystrophy Canada (MDC) and ALS Canada. The NRP makes grants available for research into the causes, treatments, and ultimately the cure for

neuromuscular disorders A neuromuscular disease is any disease affecting the peripheral nervous system (PNS), the neuromuscular junction, or skeletal muscle, all of which are components of the motor unit. Damage to any of these structures can cause muscle atrophy and ...

. ALS Canada is currently funding a national clinical trial, which aims to confirm the effectiveness of

lithium Lithium (from el, λίθος, lithos, lit=stone) is a chemical element with the symbol Li and atomic number 3. It is a soft, silvery-white alkali metal. Under standard conditions, it is the least dense metal and the least dense solid el ...

in slowing the progression of ALS in patients in the early stages of the disease. At nearly $1,000,000, the lithium trial is ALS Canada's largest research investment to date. The lithium trial is being conducted by a consortium of ALS clinicians in Canada called the Canadian ALS Clinical Trials and Research Network (CALS). The trial is the first joint effort between CALS and the Northeastern ALS Consortium (NEALS) in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

Support for provincial ALS societies

The ALS Society of Canada works with the provincial ALS Societies, which develop local chapters and support groups and provide direct support to people with ALS, their families and caregivers. The provincial societies also offer information and referrals, and support for those affected by ALS. They manage equipment programs and engage in advocacy for people with ALS, their families, physicians and health-care providers.

ALS Society of Ontario

The ALS Society of Ontario is a non-profit organization in the Canadian province of

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...

that provides support and assistance to people diagnosed with ALS, their friends and families. It was founded in 1988 by an affiliation of ALS Society of Canada chapters in

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

Hamilton Hamilton may refer to: People * Hamilton (name), a common British surname and occasional given name, usually of Scottish origin, including a list of persons with the surname ** The Duke of Hamilton, the premier peer of Scotland ** Lord Hamilt ...

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

Ottawa Ottawa (, ; Canadian French: ) is the capital city of Canada. It is located at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River in the southern portion of the province of Ontario. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the core ...

, and

Windsor Windsor may refer to: Places Australia * Windsor, New South Wales ** Municipality of Windsor, a former local government area * Windsor, Queensland, a suburb of Brisbane, Queensland **Shire of Windsor, a former local government authority around Wi ...

. The Toronto chapter seceded after a year to form the ALS Society of Toronto and Area; in 2004, it rejoined the Ontario society as a regional organization.Our History
, ALS Society of Ontario, accessed 15 February 2011.

Public awareness

Raising awareness of ALS is a key program of the ALS Society of Canada and its provincial partners. June is ALS awareness month in Canada. Throughout the provinces, public awareness and fundraising campaigns are carried out, such as golf tournaments and the WALK for ALS, which takes place in more than 78 communities across the nation. Canadians also show their support by planting blue

cornflowers ''Centaurea cyanus'', commonly known as cornflower or bachelor's button, is an annual flowering plant in the family Asteraceae native to Europe. In the past, it often grew as a weed in cornfields (in the broad sense of "corn", referring to gra ...

, the ALS Canada emblem flower, in their gardens. In 2008, ALS Canada launched a Public Service Announcement (PSA) campaign to educate the public and increase awareness of ALS in the general population. The campaign consists of two 30- and 60-second television spots, in English and French, called "Head and Shoulders", and a series of three English and French print advertisements, called "No Signal".

Other initiatives

In 2006, ALS Canada launched an initiative called als411 to help children and teens cope with ALS in their family. This was followed in 2008 by the creation of the als411 website, which has separate sub-sites for younger children and teens in both English and French. Each sub-site offers interactive components that provide age-appropriate education about ALS, personal stories, and additional resources for information and coping as well as a social networking link on the teen sites.

References

External links

ALS Society of Canada official website
{{authority control Health charities in Canada Medical and health organizations based in Ontario Neurology organizations Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis