CWA Members Walking to Defeat ALS

"For Pete's Sake." That's the slogan District 2 locals have adopted in organizing fundraising walks to help in the fight against ALS, or Lou Gehrig's disease. The slogan refers to Pete Catucci, CWA vice president of District 2, who is himself fighting ALS and who gave an appeal on behalf of stem cell research at the CWA convention.

CWA President Larry Cohen will participate in an ALS Walk in Ocean Pines, Md., this Saturday, Oct. 6, and Executive Vice President Jeff Rechenbach and Catucci will join walkers in Washington, D.C., on Oct. 21. More than 150 walks are scheduled around the country including Center Valley, Pa., on Oct. 20 and Wayne, Pa., on Nov. 10.

District 2 members have already turned out for at least one walk, in Hagerstown, Md. on Sept. 29, and District 13 members walked in Pittsburgh on Sept. 15. District 13 members are walking in honor of Julie Kmetyk, a former Verizon employee and daughter of Local 13500 President Sandy Kmetyk, who died of ALS at age 20 in 2000, about a year after first displaying symptoms.

"I applaud CWA for participating in this," said Kmetyk, "and I hope our members throughout the country will walk to defeat ALS." Kmetyk serves on the board of the Western Pennsylvania-West Virginia Chapter of the ALS Association.

Said Paula Vinciguera, Local 2106 president, who is coordinating the Ocean Pines walk, "We're doing this in honor of Pete, hoping it will help him and anyone else affected with ALS." She pointed out that Verizon will make matching contributions for funds raised by its employees.

Last year, walkers for ALS raised more than $12 million for research and to provide services to families of those with the disease.

CWA members can find a walk in their area and sign up as participants or sponsors by visiting the ALS Association website, www.alsa.org. Members can also sign up to become ALS legislative advocates either through their website or at tables staffed by volunteers at each walk site.

Both the House and Senate passed bills in July to lift restrictions on stem cell research. Stem cell treatments show vast promise for the treatment of ALS and many other diseases. President Bush has vowed to veto the legislation. Proponents say they are short in the Senate by one vote necessary to override a veto and are closely monitoring the legislation, awaiting action by the Senate leadership, possibly before the end of the year.