Ex NBA Coach Don Casey to be honored

San Diego CA— The ALS Association Greater San Diego Chapter will present its 2019 ALS Fiesta, the chapter’s annual major fundraising dinner, at 6 p.m., Thursday, May 23, at Sycuan Casino, 5469 Casino Way, El Cajon. Sycuan Casino is the event’s presenting sponsor.
At the Fiesta, members of the ALS community will be honored. Proceeds will benefit the chapter’s mission in care services, research and advocacy.
This year’s Fiesta, the fourth annual, will honor San Diegan and legendary basketball coach Don Casey for his 50 years of advocacy for ALS since losing his mother to the disease in 1969.
Casey, a native of New Jersey, coached at Temple University in Philadelphia and in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as an assistant with the Chicago Bulls, San Diego Clippers, Los Angeles Clippers and Boston Celtics. He also served as a head coach for the NBA’s New Jersey Nets and Clippers before retiring in 2000. In October 2018, Casey was inducted into the Temple University Athletics Hall of Fame.

Casey has served on ALS Association local chapter boards in New York and San Diego. Casey has served on the San Diego Chapter’s board of directors since 2002. In addition, since 2011, he has served on the 23-member ALS Association National Board of Directors. The Greater San Diego Chapter is one of 35 of 38 chapters nationwide.
The ALS Fiesta also will feature a cocktail reception, silent auction, live auction, entertainment and dinner. Individual admission tickets begin at $250 per person. Tables for eight persons are priced at $3,000. To RSVP, visit www.alsasd.org or contact Eric Andrews, Associate Director of Development and Events, at eandrews@alsasd.org or 858-271-5547.
In addition to Sycuan Casino, ALS Fiesta sponsors include Ionis Pharmaceuticals, Grossmont Healthcare District, Access Medical, LifePro, Harmony Home Medical and the San Diego Union-Tribune.
ALS is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects neurons, or nerve cells, in the brain and the spinal cord. Eventually, people with ALS lose the ability to initiate and control muscle movement, which usually leads to total paralysis and death within five years of diagnosis. There is no cure and no life-prolonging treatments for the disease.
The ALS Association is the only national nonprofit organization fighting Lou Gehrig’s disease on every front. By leading the way in global research, providing assistance for people with ALS through a nationwide network of chapters, coordinating multidisciplinary care through certified clinical care centers and fostering government partnerships, The ALS Association builds hope and enhances quality of life while aggressively searching for new treatments and a cure. For more information about the ALS Association, visit the website at www.alsa.org.