Valley Center CA— The inaugural ALS Challenge Me Slot Tournament, a charity fundraiser benefiting the ALS Association Greater San Diego Chapter, will be held from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Sunday, Aug. 25, at the Valley View Casino & Hotel, 16300 Nyemii Pass Road, Valley Center.
The public is invited to participate at the fundraiser, which will include cash prizes and prizes presented to the tournament’s top scorers. No previous slot tournament or casino experience is required to participate in this charitable event.
Player donation is $100 per person, which includes tournament participation, a Maine lobster buffet and commemorative windbreaker jacket. All proceeds will benefit the ALS Association Greater San Diego Chapter’s Care Services Initiative, which provides a variety of services to people living with ALS and their families, including include care consultation, education, training programs, resources, advocacy, support groups and durable medical equipment needs, such as loans of specialized power wheelchairs, assistive technology devices and accessible vehicle repairs and maintenance.
More than $10,000 will be awarded to the tournament’s top scorers, including a $2,500 cash grand prize and his-her Citizen watches donated by Unicorn Jewelry in Rancho Bernardo. Tournament check-in will be held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The tournament runs from 12 noon to 4:30 p.m. The lobster buffet will be available from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Persons ages 21 and over can participate. Anyone under age 21 will not be allowed into any part of the venue. For more event information, visit www.alsasd.org or contact Eric Andrews, associate director of development and events, ALS Association, at eandrews@alsasd.org or 858-271-5547.
“It is an honor and privilege for our team to support as many families as possible that are affected by ALS,” said Bruce Howard, general manager, Valley View Casino & Hotel. “At Valley View Casino & Hotel, we are all here to help support those remarkable families served by the Greater San Diego Chapter. We are proud to be working together to host this first annual casino event with 100 percent of the event’s proceeds going towards helping those affected by ALS.”
“We are very grateful to the Valley View Casino & Hotel team members for their tremendous support for our cause,” said Steve Becvar, executive director, ALS Association Greater San Diego Chapter. “Our partnership has continued to grow over the years and it is because of this support that we are able to help so many people impacted by ALS.”
ALS, or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, often referred to as Lou Gehrig’s disease, is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and the spinal cord for which there is no known cause, cure or life-prolonging treatments for the disease. Eventually, people with ALS lose the ability to initiate and control muscle movement, which usually leads to total paralysis.
Nearly 30,000 Americans are living with ALS at any given time, with an average life expectancy of just two to five years. ALS is a rapidly progressive disease that claims the lives of many people in our region every year. Living with ALS can cost up to $250,000 annually, depleting families’ life savings. The ALS Association Greater San Diego Chapter offers all services to people with ALS and their families free of charge.
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.