The donor: Rick Shaver
The gift: Raising $16,340
The cause: ALS Canada
The reason: To fund research into Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS)
When Rick Shaver joined a Toronto running club in 2004, he immediately hit it off with fellow member Paulo Branco, a hardcore marathoner and triathlete. The two spent hours together on long training runs and they competed in several marathons.
About five years ago, Mr. Branco developed Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), a motor-neuron disease that leads to paralysis. Mr. Shaver, 60, has kept up running marathons and he often draws on his friend’s struggle with the disease for inspiration. Last month Mr. Shaver ran in the Boston Marathon for the first time and decided to use the event to raise money for ALS Canada to fund new research. Despite horrible weather, he finished in just over four hours and raised $16,340.
“I knew I was running in his footsteps,” said Mr. Shaver, who is chief executive of a Toronto-based advertising agency called The Hive. “When you get in that dark place during a marathon, I just focus on Paulo and his passion for distance sports. It just helps propel me to the finish line.”
Mr. Shaver will be raising money again on Monday when he joins Mr. Branco’s family in the Walk for ALS in Bronte Creek Provincial Park in Oakville, Ont. “I just want to get something done to try and find a cure for this mysterious and devastating disease,” he said.
Paul Waldie