I am again riding my bike in the annual Tri-State Trek to raise money for the ALS Therapy Development Institute (https://www.als.net/), and this year it is even an in-person event!  However, it will be reduced to just a one day, single-state event, though the route will still be 100 miles long.  Being fully vaccinated has its perks...  I can ride 100 miles with other people! 

Again this year I'm on Team Ernie.  Ernie Fournier was an active member of the church I grew up going to, and the team is made up of friends and family of his, most of whom are up here in the New England area but a couple others are sprinkled across the country.  I'll also be riding my bike for my neighbor, Brian Shifrin, whose family used to live across the street from me in Southborough.  He fought a two year battle with ALS, but died in December 2019.  

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ALS has certainly not gone away thanks to the Covid-19 pandemic, or subsided in the last couple months the way that Covid-19 did.  The need for funding has remained constant, though the donations have dropped significantly.  I think the donations to the TDI totaled about half of what they usually do.  In addition to the research they do, the TDI's support programs help those living with ALS now.

Thank you!
Matt