It's been three years since former Cleveland Brothers Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, Tom Kirchhoff, passed away due to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) or Lou Gehrig's disease.
ALS is a nervous system disease that deteriorates the body’s muscles, to the point that it affects the entire body’s function. There are less than 20,000 cases found each year in the United States, which makes it a rare disease.
Although there is no current cure for ALS, many are fundraising in an effort to raise awareness and find a cure. Tommy Kirchhoff, a high school senior and the son of Tom and Staci Kirchhoff, is one of them. Tommy and friend Bobby Whalen worked together to fundraise nearly $250,000 for Project ALS, in honor of Tommy’s father.
BIG DREAMS TURN BIGGER
This fundraiser started out small, but quickly turned into something much larger. With an initial, ambitious goal of $50,000, Tommy and Bobby asked family, friends and fellow students to pledge a dollar amount for every touchdown they received during their 2017 football season.
In addition to that, the teenagers and their families sold shirts and wristbands whenever and wherever they could to support their cause. Tommy and Bobby together proudly wore number 14, Tom Kirchhoff’s old football number, and appropriately named their fundraiser “We Will W1N 4 ALS.”
After months of hard work, fundraising and football, the boys outdid themselves, raising nearly five times their initial goal. Tommy’s and Bobby’s family, friends and community, along with companies like Cleveland Brothers, are proud of their contributions and join them in their fight against ALS to find a cure.
Project ALS, a non-profit organization whose mission is to identify and support leading scientific research toward the first effective treatments and a cure for ALS, commits to finding and funding a cure. To learn more about Tommy and Bobby’s project, click here for more information. To make a donation or get involved with Project ALS, go to: http://www.projectals.org/.
