CVS/pharmacy to kick off fundraising campaign for ALS

WOONSOCKET, R.I. CVS/pharmacy has kicked off its annual in-store fundraising campaign to support the fight against amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, a disorder that affects 25,000 Americans, with 5,000 new cases diagnosed each year.

This year's campaign runs through June 27. To bring the campaign to a personal level and to communicate the randomness of the disease, the story of a young mother with ALS will be shared throughout the campaign. Dana Miller, a 45-year-old resident of Wayland, Mass., and a mother of four who is married to a childhood friend, was diagnosed with ALS just six months ago. She is serving as honorary co-chair of this year's campaign along with Jon Roberts, EVP of CVS Caremark.

"What Dana is doing by sharing her story publicly is admirable and brave. By putting a face on this debilitating disease, Dana hopes to motivate CVS/pharmacy customers to play a role in making a difference in the quest to cure ALS," Roberts stated. "Our customers have come through for us consistently over the years, and we're confident that they'll do so again this year — especially knowing that 100% of funds raised through the campaign will go directly to the ALS Therapy Alliance to fund their groundbreaking research."

ALS is a disorder in which there is a progressive degeneration of motor nerves in the brain and the spinal cord leading to paralysis and death, typically within three to five years. There is no known cause or cure for ALS, which affects 25,000 Americans with 5,000 new cases diagnosed each year.

Since 2002, CVS/pharmacy has partnered with the ALS Therapy Alliance to help advance ALS research. To date, CVS/pharmacy has raised more than $15 million in its stores — a single $1 donation at a time — to support the funding of new clinical trials with the aim of discovering a treatment or cure for the disease.