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ALS Awareness Events

Complete: Giving Tuesday 2024

Posted on by MOFF
23
Oct

Giving Tuesday took place on December 4th 2024. More information on Giving Tuesday can be found on their website here. Information on how to support the ALS Community via MOFF is below.

How Your Support Makes a Difference

Every dollar donated this Giving Tuesday will help MOFF continue our work in three key areas:

  1. Funding Research: Understanding the pathogensis of ALS is crucial to developing therapeutic options for this disease. Each year MOFF provides grants between $20,000- $100,000 to ALS researchers for their efforts to better understand disease mechanisms, run clinical trials, optimize therapeutic targets, identify new animal models and more. 
  2. Providing Support Services: MOFF distributes an annual grant to the ALS Network that is specifically earmarked for individuals living with ALS (PALs) on the Central Coast of CA. These funds are used by care managers to provide vital services such as physical therapy, transportation services, medication and other disease-related needs. MOFF connects with PALs during local support groups to better understand the unmet needs including the emotional and mental challenges of living with ALS.
  3. Spreading Awareness: Awareness is key to driving progress. The more people understand ALS, the more support we can garner for research, care, and advocacy. 

How You Can Get Involved

On Giving Tuesday, your donation, no matter how large or small, will directly impact those living with ALS. Here’s how:

  • Donate: A financial gift can help fund vital research or provide care to those who need it most. Click here to donate. 
  • Fundraise: Start your own fundraising campaign on our platform. It’s easy and a great way to engage your community about ALS. Click here to fundraise today!
  • Share: Help spread the word about ALS and Giving Tuesday on social media. Please share our social media posts, emails and website amongst friends, family, and colleagues to get involved.

Your generosity this Giving Tuesday will bring us closer to a world where no one has to face ALS alone—and where one day, ALS is no longer a life sentence, but a disease of the past. Thank you for your continued support, and we hope you’ll join us in making this Giving Tuesday a powerful day of change and hope for the ALS community.

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Tags: ALS Awareness Events

Natalie Fernandez
Program Director, CFO
Natalie is the associate project manager of clinical development at Viracta Therapeutics in San Diego, CA. In her spare time, she works as the program director and CFO of MOFF. Well connected within the ALS community, Natalie runs the ALS Research Paper Review Initiative (ALS RPR) and is a member of the ALS Association National Chapter Patient and Caregiver Advisory Committee (PCAC). Natalie completed her MBA degree in Pharmaceutical and Healthcare Business at The University of the Sciences in Philadelphia in June 2019. She holds an undergraduate degree from NYU in Communicative Sciences and Disorders and Spanish.

Andrea Fernandez
Director, Secretary
Andrea is currently working for Plaid in San Francisco, California. She earned her B.S. at California Polytechnic State University at San Luis Obispo. Andrea chose to live abroad and teach in Spain for a year prior to moving to San Francisco. She is currently enjoying the NorCal city lifestyle and looking forward to all that is to come.

John Ronca
Board Member
John joined the MOFF board of directors in April 2020. Bio coming soon.

Cheri Humphrey
Board Member
Cheri Humphrey joined the MOFF board of directors in August of 2019. Cheri grew up in Dixon, CA and moved to San Luis Obispo to attend Cal Poly. It was there that she met her husband Jim. They now reside in SLO and have a daughter, Victoria and a son, Riley. Cheri is instrumental in the operations of the iconic Madonna Inn, which she has been the manager of since 1989. Cheri and her family have been ALS advocates since the inception of MOFF. We are honored to have Cheri as part of the board to guide community outreach and continue raising awareness of ALS prevalence on the Central Coast.

Ian Parkinson
Board Member
We are very excited to welcome San Luis Obispo County Sheriff, Ian Parkinson, into his second two-year term as a member of the Martha Olson-Fernandez Foundation Board. Ian has served as Sheriff since 2011 and is well known in the community for this tireless efforts to improve the law enforcement processes of SLO County. Ian knew Martha Olson-Fernandez and has been a supporter of MOFF since 2012. We are very grateful for his commitment to help us carry out our mission to fight ALS through patient care and research. We look forward to utilizing his strategic insights and community outreach to further the MOFF mission.

Larry Fernandez
Director, CEO
Larry is currently an executive for a private vegetable seed company. He has been an entrepreneur in the seed industry for 35 years. He is the proud father of Andrea and Natalie and enjoys watching them pursue their education and practical learning through their job experiences. When time allows, Larry enjoys hunting and fishing. His desire is to find a cure for ALS.