LAS VEGAS BASH TO RAISE RECORD AMOUNT,
AWARENESS FOR ALS RESEARCH
Lance Armstrong to Make Special Appearance
TUCSON, Ariz., March 8, 2006 — Fitness pioneer Augie Nieto is in the fight
of his life, and he’s leading the charge to find a cure for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS, or Lou Gehrig’s disease) by
hosting the Bash for Augie’s Quest to raise funds for ALS research.
The Bash, March 22 at the Las Vegas Hilton, is the country’s single
largest fund-raiser for ALS research. With Nieto’s leadership, event
organizers expect to draw over 2,500 supporters and raise more than $2.5
million for Augie’s Quest.
Augie’s Quest, in conjunction with the Muscular Dystrophy
Association’s (MDA) ALS Division, is an aggressive campaign aimed at
raising funds for ALS research that will lead to treatments and a cure for ALS.
The devastating disease affects more than 30,000 Americans. MDA maintains the
worlds largest privately-funded program to combat ALS.
Seven-time Tour de France champion Lance Armstrong is scheduled to make a
special appearance at the Bash, and the Grammy-Award-winning Doobie Brothers
will perform. Comedian Bob Saget will serve as the evening’s emcee.
“This is going to be a great big party, and we’re going to raise
more money than any other single event to make a cure for ALS a reality,”
said Nieto, 48.
Presented by the International Health, Racquet & Sportsclub Association
(IHRSA), the event will be held in conjunction with IHRSA’s 25th
Anniversary International Convention and Trade Show.
Nieto is co-founder and former president of Life Fitness, and chairman of Octane
Fitness. He and his wife, Lynne, serve as co-chairpersons of MDA’s ALS
Division. Nieto received a diagnosis of ALS in March 2005.
Through Augie’s Quest, Nieto raised more than $1 million for MDA’s
ALS Division at a September dinner and reception at which he received the
fitness industry’s Lifetime Achievement Award presented by IHRSA and the
National Fitness Trade Show. The benefit raised the largest amount ever by an
inaugural event of its kind.
ALS destroys the nerve cells controlling muscles, ultimately causing complete
paralysis while leaving mental function intact. Survival is typically two to
five years after diagnosis. The cause of ALS isn’t fully understood, and
no cure exists.
For more information or to purchase tickets, visit www.augiesquest.org, or call Bash Headquarters at (714) 550-0161.
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