American Airlines Raises $800,000 for Answer ALS at Annual Charity Golf Tournament
31 May 2017 - 11:00PM
American Airlines raised more than $800,000 for Answer ALS through
the second annual American Airlines Charity Golf Tournament and
live auction in Dallas May 24-25.
A photo accompanying this announcement is available at
http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/bcb3ce71-592c-4a6f-9f12-41522d189567
"We are proud to partner with Answer ALS on behalf
of all American team members, including Peter Warlick, vice
president – Finance, who was recently diagnosed with ALS,” said
American's chairman and CEO Doug Parker. "Peter is a champion
for all American team members fighting this disease. And we believe
there is a real opportunity to bring attention to orphan diseases,
like ALS, that require additional awareness and fundraising support
in order to bring them to an end. It means a great deal to the
American family to host this event in our hometown.”
ALS, or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, is a
progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in
the brain and the spinal cord. It is also commonly referred to as
Lou Gehrig’s disease, after the famous baseball player who was
diagnosed with it.
More than 200 golf enthusiasts and individuals
passionate about finding a cure for ALS came together to raise
funds to further research of the disease, including former NFL
Safety for the New Orleans Saints, Steve Gleason, who was diagnosed
with ALS in 2011.
Last week Gleason took his first commercial flight
in four years onboard American Airlines to attend the event. He
spoke to attendees just before the live auction Wednesday evening.
“We know if we are going to find solutions to ALS, a disease with
no known cure, or viable treatment, we have to be bigger than the
disease. But, I hear everything is bigger in Texas, so, this
is right in your wheelhouse. I believe it is a pivotal time for
ALS.”
“As an ALS researcher, it’s incredible to see
leaders in business come together for this cause,” commented Dr.
Jeffrey Rothstein, director of the Brain Science Institute and the
Robert Packard Center for ALS Research at Johns Hopkins University
and the executive director of the Answer ALS research project.
“American’s commitment and leadership has raised much needed funds
to continue the important work we are doing to help solve ALS. The
Answer ALS research project is the largest coordinated and
aggressive ALS research effort designed to quickly find answers to
a disease that’s largely been a mystery. So, we are grateful
committed groups like those American gathered for the tournament
are also being aggressive in helping us raise those needed
dollars.”
In 2016 American announced a multi-year financial
commitment of $1 million to the Answer ALS research project through
the Answer ALS Foundation. The funds raised at the charity golf
tournament are in addition to that commitment. Answer ALS and
American have also partnered to assist American team members and
their dependents with navigation of the disease, expert clinic
referrals, resources for Medicare benefit information, new
assistive technologies such as voice banking and more.
“My wife Liz has been with American for 38 years,
I’m a medically retired pilot from US Airways and I have ALS. I’d
actually be flying an American plane now had the disease not
affected me,” commented John Nyquist. “ALS throws you for a
loop, instead of being a pilot, up in front in control of the
airplane, it’s like now I’m in the last row of the airplane in
control of absolutely nothing. I’m proud of American’s commitment
to help, it means a lot.”
The Answer ALS project involves 1,000 patients and
nearly two dozen research entities at leading institutions, making
it the largest ALS research effort ever undertaken. There are six
clinical sites for the project: Johns Hopkins University,
Massachusetts General Hospital, Washington University, Ohio State
University, Emory University and Cedars-Sinai Medical Center.
About American Airlines GroupAmerican Airlines
and American Eagle offer an average of nearly 6,700 flights per day
to nearly 350 destinations in more than 50 countries. American has
hubs in Charlotte, Chicago, Dallas/Fort Worth, Los Angeles, Miami,
New York, Philadelphia, Phoenix, and Washington, D.C. American is a
founding member of the oneworld® alliance, whose
members serve more than 1,000 destinations with about 14,250 daily
flights to over 150 countries. Shares of American Airlines Group
Inc. trade on Nasdaq under the ticker symbol AAL. In 2015, its
stock joined the S&P 500 index. Connect with American on
Twitter @AmericanAir and at Facebook.com/AmericanAirlines.
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