6,000 pinwheels – one per life lost to ALS (amytrophic lateral sclerosis) – will be displayed on Stony Brook University’s West Campus during the 2008 “Ride for Life,” an annual event to raise awareness of the disease and funds for ALS research.

STONY BROOK, N.Y., April 23, 2008 – On May 6 in the mid-afternoon, wheelchair bound patients battling ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis) will ride through Stony Brook University on their “Ride for Life,” an annual event to raise awareness of ALS and funds for ALS research. The 7-day ride begins in Montauk Point on May 4 and ends in Manhattan on May 10. Stony Brook University, home of Long Island’s only comprehensive ALS Clinic, will display 6,000 pinwheels in and around the grounds of the South P Lot on West Campus. The pinwheels represent the 6,000 individuals who died from ALS during this past year in the United States.

“The idea behind the pinwheel display is to not only to show how many people we lose each year from ALS but to send the message that someday a cure is possible and the answer may be ‘blowin in the wind,’” says Christopher Pendergast, a 15-year ALS patient and Founder, Ride for Life.

Pendergast and other riders, along with their families, friends and other supporters, will be greeted by Stony Brook University faculty, students, and friends when they make their way onto campus. A ceremony will take place near the pinwheel display to honor the riders, along with families and friends of loved ones lost to ALS.

This is the 11th Annual Ride for Life. Pendergast started the ride in 1998 when he rode from Manhattan to Washington, D.C. The Ride has raised more than $3 million since its inception. Fifty percent of the proceeds from the ride go toward research, including to the ALS Association, Greater NY Chapter. Forty percent of the proceeds go toward patient services. The Ride partners with the Chapter help fund the Stony Brook University ALS Comprehensive Care Clinic.

For more information about the entire 7-day Ride and the event at Stony Brook University, please call 631-444-1292. To view updates on the event, or to register for the two weekend walking days to support the Ride, please visit 2008rideforlife.kintera.org. For additional information, e-mail Michael@rideforlife.com.

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