Photo Courtesy of Suasion Communications Group Pictured are top finishers Cassandra Raia and Daniel Galioto with, from left, West Orange Council President Susan McCartney, Councilwoman Tammy Williams and Mayor Robert D. Parisi.
Pictured are top finishers Cassandra Raia, center, and Daniel Galioto, second from right, with, from left, West Orange Councilwoman Tammy Williams, council President Susan McCartney and Mayor Robert D. Parisi.
WEST ORANGE, NJ — The West Orange Mayor’s 5K Run/Walk on Oct. 9 raised $20,000 to support local families battling ALS and to support the Mayor’s Sunshine Fund.
“We are grateful to all who participated in this annual event, and for the generous donations that will help support such an important cause,” Mayor Robert D. Parisi said. “The walk to defeat ALS is an incredible way to unite our community and fundraise for those battling ALS.”
A portion of this year’s net proceeds benefited the PSZ Believe Foundation, an Essex County–based charity supporting Essex County families battling ALS. For more information visit pszbelievefoundation.org.
Race teams included Team Paulette Smile, which ran in memory of Paulette Zirpoli, who succumbed to ALS in March 2022 and for whom the PSZ Foundation was formed; and the ‘Jacked Up’ team & Jack’s Pack, which both ran for Jack Sayers, who has served as an Essex County sheriff’s officer and undersheriff, then later as the police director and business administrator in his hometown of West Orange. View Zirpoli’s story at tinyurl.com/55u84rh3 and Sayers’ story at tinyurl.com/48as2d9b.
ALS is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord. Every 90 minutes, an individual is diagnosed with the disease and there is no known cure. It is estimated that care for a loved one with ALS could reach $200,000 annually.
Additional donations can be made at tinyurl.com/4yrcyzdr.
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