Cleveland Brothers Donates $12,000 to Further ALS Research for the 3rd Year in a Row
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For a third year, Cleveland Brothers has partnered with the University of Pittsburgh Men’s Basketball Team to raise money and promote awareness for Lou Gehrig’s disease, also known as ALS. For every rebound the Panthers grabbed during the 2016/2017 season, Cleveland Brothers donated $10 to the Live Like Lou ALS Research Center at The University of Pittsburgh and the Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh Foundation, to contribute to their efforts toward supporting scientific research to find a cure for ALS.
The Pittsburgh Panthers had an excellent season, starting off by collecting 50 rebounds during their first game and over 40 rebounds in 10 other games throughout the season. Overall, the Panthers were able to grab over 1,000 rebounds in 32 games, raising a total of $12,000 in donations for the two charities.
On Feb. 18, during halftime of one of the Panthers’ last regular season home games, two checks were presented by Sean Donoghue, Sales Manager at Cleveland Brothers. The first $6,000 check was presented to Suzanne Alexander, along with her children, Abby and Patrick who represented Live Like Lou ALS Research Center at The University of Pittsburgh. The second $6,000 check was accepted by Caitlin Hazelton, representing the Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh Foundation. To date, Cleveland Brothers has donated $35,000 to these two organizations through partnering with the Pittsburgh Panthers.
“Since we announced the endeavor to raise money for the Live Like Lou ALS Research Center in 2015 we have hired a top ALS investigator and built a lab with six other scientists and world-class research equipment. The team has already won several awards for their techniques and findings and are about to announce a patent. We are very excited about their energy and momentum to tackle this terrible condition,” said Suzanne Alexander.
Cleveland Brothers has been actively involved with many charitable opportunities to help find a cure for ALS since 2010. These opportunities have included hosting charity auctions along with participating in ALS walks in the Pittsburgh and Hershey areas.
Tom Kirchhoff, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Offer of Cleveland Brothers, lost his battle with ALS on March 10, 2015. In his honor, the Cleveland and Kirchhoff families strongly support all research ventures committed to finding a cure for ALS.
LiveLikeLou.org was established in 2011 by Neil and Suzanne Alexander of O’Hara Township, soon after Neil was diagnosed with ALS at age 46. The Pittsburgh-area couple created the LiveLikeLou.org fund through the Pittsburgh Foundation. They aimed to “leave ALS better than we found it” by raising awareness about the disease, providing care and comfort to ALS families in Western Pennsylvania, and supporting scientific research to find a cure. The Alexanders named the fund for baseball great Lou Gehrig to honor the example he set for all people living with ALS.
The Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh Foundation is the sole fundraising arm of the Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC. Through targeted campaigns, special events and grants, the Foundation raises money to support the hospital’s mission of excellence in patient care, teaching and research.
To learn more about the Live Like Lou ALS Research Center at The University of Pittsburgh, please visit www.ALSResearchCenter.org
To learn more about the Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh Foundation, please visit www.GiveToChildrens.org