Shoot For A Cure is the brainchild of Rory Szeto and Ezra Klemow, 20 year old residents of Fanwood and Scotch Plains respectively. At the start of the event they spoke about Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), often referred to as "Lou Gehrig's Disease” and why supporting research for a cure is so important.
ALS is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and the spinal cord. As motor neurons degenerate, they can no longer send impulses to the muscle fibers that normally result in muscle movement. Early symptoms of ALS often include increasing muscle weakness, especially involving the arms and legs, speech, swallowing or breathing. When muscles no longer receive the messages from the motor neurons that they require to function, the muscles begin to atrophy (become smaller). Limbs begin to look "thinner" as muscle tissue atrophies.
Candidates Llewellyn Jones for Scotch Plains Township Council, Marc Krauss for Union County Freeholder and John Campbell for LD 22 Assembly teamed up for the 2nd Annual Shoot For A Cure fundraiser held at the Jewish Community Center of Central NJ, in Scotch Plains this past Sunday. The candidates aptly named their team "The Candidates" and participated in 4 on 4 half court round robin basketball games with John's younger brother Jordan rounding out the team.
Find out what's happening in Scotch Plains-Fanwoodwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
John Campbell said, "Great seeing so many people supporting such a worthwhile cause. The funds raised bring us one step closer to a cure."
18 teams competed in the tournament this year. The competition was tough and included a number of players who play at the collegiate level. But in the end it was all about bringing awareness to ALS.
Find out what's happening in Scotch Plains-Fanwoodwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
Llewellyn Jones said, "Shoot For A Cure raised money for an important cause and also exemplifies a wonderful sense of community."
Proceeds from the event are donated to The Angel Fund. The Angel Fund is a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting ALS investigations at the Cecil B. Day Laboratory for Neuromuscular Research, internationally recognized for its ground-breaking work in the fight against this devastating illness.
Marc Krauss added, "It was a superb event where the winner was bringing much needed awareness to ALS."
