Volunteers Honor Those Affected by ALS (Lou Gehrig’s Disease) Through Tag Days in Batavia, Geneva, St. Charles

On May 7 and 14, dozens of volunteers wearing yellow aprons and holding collection cans will be stationed in front of local stores as part of the Les Turner ALS Foundation’s annual Tag Days drive.

Suzanne Heronemus of Batavia and Vicki Flahaven of Aurora are spearheading the local effort, and have recruited students from Batavia High School’s drama club as well as longtime supporters of the Les Turner ALS Foundation, friends and relatives.

A true grassroots campaign, Tag Days helps increase awareness of ALS (Lou Gehrig’s disease) and also raises funds to support medical research, patient services and educational activities. The local Tag Days captains are aiming to raise more than $1,000 through this effort, which is one of nearly 40 community donation drives in the Chicagoland area.

Flahaven has been organizing Tag Days drives for more than a decade. For several years, while living in Oak Park, she coordinated the fundraising activities there, and after moving to Fox Valley in 2002, she began organizing the donation drives in St. Charles and Geneva.

This year, with help from Suzanne Heronemus, they approached Batavia’s community leaders about holding a donation drive there on May 14.

Volunteers commit to a two-hour shift and will be assigned to locations such as the Post Office, Starbuck and Ace Hardware in Geneva; Walgreens and Ace Hardware in Batavia; and Jewel, Starbucks, Butera and Blue Goose Market in St. Charles.

Each person who contributes to the cause will receive a “tag” (Lou Gehrig baseball card) that features information about ALS and the ways to get involved with the Les Turner ALS Foundation. In addition, volunteers will be distributing flyers for Les Turner ALS Foundation Day at Panera Bread®, 154 W. Wilson, Batavia.

Panera Bread will donate a percentage of sales on May 14 to the Les Turner ALS Foundation.

Also, Four Beans Coffeehouse in Batavia will be running a special promotion to benefit the Les Turner Foundation on May 14, and in Geneva is currently planning a fundraiser.

Experienced fundraisers, Flahaven and Heronemus are personally motivated to make a difference in the ALS community. In May of 1994, Flahaven’s father became concerned about the weakness in his hands and sought advice from a neurologist at Northwestern’s Feinberg School of Medicine. Ultimately, he was diagnosed with ALS.

His health quickly declined and he died from the disease while living in Florida in August of 1994.

The Heronemus family is currently facing the challenges of ALS. In 2004, Suzanne’s husband Steve began experiencing muscle twitches in his arms. After numerous doctor visits, countless tests and years of uncertainty, in 2007, Steve was diagnosed with ALS at the Lois Insolia ALS Center at Northwestern.

Today, Steve uses a power wheelchair for mobility and needs assistance with daily tasks, such as getting dressed, feeding and bathing. His speech has declined and his breathing is impaired, but Steve’s mind and spirit remain strong and intact. Working from home, Steve maintains his position as a management consultant and is still actively involved in Bethlehem Lutheran Church and STAGE, the parents’ theatre booster organization at Batavia High School.

“From my own family’s experience and from the patients I have met over the years, I know how important it is that we raise funds for ALS research, patient services and educational programs,” said Flahaven. “I’ve always enjoyed organizing Tag Days and each year I am amazed by how many local residents we talk to during the donation drive whose lives have been touched to some degree by ALS.”

Since 1994, thousands of volunteers have helped with this important effort. There were six Tag Days drives held in May of 1994; this year Tag Days captains will organize donation drives in nearly 40 communities. The Les Turner ALS Foundation has a goal of raising more than $100,000 from Tag Days.

The campaign is sponsored by WLUP-FM and Q101-FM, VisoGraphics and Sta-Bil.

“The success of Tag Days is dependent on the dedication, ingenuity and volunteer manpower, so we are especially grateful to Vicki Flahaven, Suzanne Heronemus and the dozens of people involved in this local effort,” said Wendy Abrams, executive director of the Les Turner ALS Foundation. “Tag Days requires only a few supplies and many willing volunteers, which allows us to invest a very high percentage of proceeds directly into critical services that benefit people affected by ALS.”

This year volunteers will hit the streets in the following communities: Algonquin; Arlington Heights; Barrington; Batavia; Buffalo Grove; Burbank; Champaign; Chicago neighborhoods/ venues (Garfield Ridge, Lincoln Park, Union Station); Crystal Lake; Evergreen Park; Flossmoor; Geneva; Glenview; Glen Ellyn; Hoffman Estates; Island Lake; Joliet; Lake in the Hills; Libertyville;
Lincolnwood; Lombard; Mount Prospect; Northbrook; Northfield; Oak Lawn; Orland Park; Palos Heights; Palos Park; Park Ridge; Skokie; St. Charles; Sycamore; Vernon Hills; Wauconda; Wheaton; and Wheeling.

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), commonly known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, is a terminal neuromuscular disease that attacks a person’s muscles, gradually robbing them of their ability to walk, speak, eat and breathe, yet usually keeping their mind intact. At any given time, approximately 35,000 people in the United States are living with ALS. While treatments and interventions can help alleviate some symptoms, enhance quality of life and prolong survival,
currently there is no cure.

Founded in 1977, the Les Turner ALS Foundation is recognized internationally and is the only independent, publicly supported non-profit organization in the Chicago area dedicated solely to the treatment and elimination of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). The Foundation is affiliated with Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine where it funds two world-class scientific research laboratories and a large multi-disciplinary clinical program.

The foundation's comprehensive patient services include, support group meetings, professional in- home consultation services, communications and durable medical equipment programs, respite care grants, and educational activities. The foundation serves approximately 90 percent of the ALS population in the Chicago area.

For more information about ALS or to volunteer for Tag Days, call 847-679-3311 or visit www.lesturnerals.org.