Blue Jays Participate En Masse in Walk to Defeat ALS
Nearly 200 members of the Jesuit community—from the St. Aloysius Gonzaga Chapter of the National Honor Society (NHS), Sociedad Honoraria Hispánica, and Jesuit Cheerleaders—gave up a few hours of sleep and braved the heat to volunteer at the Walk to Defeat ALS on Saturday, Oct. 11 at Zephyr’s Field.
Attracting hundreds of walkers and supporters from around the Greater New Orleans Area, the event went off without a hitch. Walk organizers called the Blue Jays’ involvement “incredible” and commented that they hope to be able to work together in the future.
Keeping with NHS’s pillar of service and Jesuit’s goal of forming its students as “men for others,” all members of the NHS make a commitment to perform one out-of-school service project each semester. In honor of Fr. Raymond Fitzgerald, S.J. who announced his diagnosis of ALS last year, and through the coordination of its newest moderator Mrs. Amy Tassin, whose family became heavily involved in the ALSA following the death of her sister to the disease a few years ago, the NHS has made volunteering at the Walk to Defeat ALS its annual fall service project, aiming to continue its participation for years to come.
Sponsored by the Louisiana/Mississippi Chapter of the ALS Association, the event lasted from 7 a.m. to noon and featured free food, music, and children’s entertainment for all walkers and their families. It surpassed the previous year’s fundraising total, raising over $120,000 to support the ALSA’s local care services along with its awareness, advocacy, and research efforts.
Photos courtesy of Mrs. Jenny Johnson, D.J. Galiano ’07, and Ryan Roberts ’15.
Galleries
Walk to Defeat ALS, Oct. 11, 2014
-
Seniors Garrett Peret, Collin Thibodeaux, and Steven Stradley
-
Coach Jenny Johnston and the Jesuit cheerleaders are ready to assist those who have ALS out of their cars.
-
NHS co-moderator Amy Tassin, along with seniors Tyler Fox, Evan Flynn, and junior Austin Blanchard pause for a photo while helping set up the Walk to Defeat ALS.
-
Blue Jay volunteers helped staff a check-in table for people participating in the walk.
-
NHS co-moderator Nilda Rivera and Chris Dupré '14 take a break from set up.
-
Juniors Andrew Nguyen and Carlo Carino
-
Seniors senior Christian Maher and Patrick Cecola and his counterpart stand guard over the the Harley Davidson motorcycle that was raffled off during the walk.
-
Seniors Ben Brim, Nicholas Price, Francis Plough, Chris Caldarera, and August Vanlangendonck
-
The Walk to Defeat ALS is the ALS Association’s biggest annual event, which raises funds for the New Orleans chapter to assist with care services and support research.
-
A group of Blue Jays help sign up and encourage a family affected by ALS.
-
Team Jesuit joins the walk.
-
At the front of Team Jesuit is sophomore Todd Crabtree, junior Joseph Dupré, and junior Will Hurley.
-
Academic Assistant Principal Kathy Juhas was all smiles during the walk.
-
Mrs. Celeste Arseneaux (mother of Matt '13, Will '15, and Thomas' 18) and Mrs. Patricia Daste (mother of Harrison '15), smile for the camera.
-
Junior Joseph Dupré (right) and his brother, Christopher Dupré '14 hold a Jesuit flag and lead the way.
-
Juniors Joey Bongiovanni, Will Hurley, Myles Kuss, and Andrew Westholz pose with the New Orleans Zephyrs' mascot, Boudreaux.