News & Stories
Hundreds Gather at the 2023 Napa Valley Ride to Defeat ALS and Walk!
ALS Golden West proudly held the 19th Annual Napa Valley Ride to Defeat ALS and Walk® on Saturday, September 23 at Justin-Siena High School in Napa. The annual event brought incredible energy and an outpouring of support for those affected by ALS. This special community event raised funds to support the interdependent mission priorities of ALS Golden West in care services, public policy, and research.
“I am so proud and humbled to be a part of such a loving, compassionate and fierce group of people coming together for this special event that elevates hope to those within our ALS community!” Said Stephanie Sorensen, Director of Community Outreach, Northern California.
Since its inception in 2005, the Napa Valley Ride to Defeat ALS and Walk has been a yearly opportunity for the ALS community to gather in a show of support and unity, and fuel the search for effective prevention strategies, treatments, and cures for ALS.
“19 years ago, a few years after my mom passed after fighting ALS for 4 years, we decided to get some friends together, about 10 of us, to put together the first ride. It was successful, and it gave us the drive to keep going,” said Bonnie Pybus, Co-Founder of the Napa Valley Walk to Defeat ALS. “The never give up spirit of this community is something unparalleled and sometimes difficult to maintain. ALS has no cure, nobody has beaten it. YET. We will continue to come together and raise much needed funding and awareness, never giving up, so one day we can name this event the NVR that has defeated ALS.”
The event was a great success, with 834 participants, together raising over $915,438 toward the $1.2M fundraising goal. Thank you to our ALS community for your dedication to Golden West’s mission and for joining us at the 2023 Napa Valley Ride to Defeat ALS and Walk. We invite you to see photos from the event here. Also, if you have any photos from the event that you would like to share, please send them to photos@alsagoldenwest.org. See you next year at the 20 year anniversary!