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HUGHESTOWN — More than 100 attendees enjoyed dinner, fun activities and camaraderie on Saturday for the sixth annual PALS of Jimmy Duffy Fundraiser, helping to raise awareness of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS).
The event is a way to give support and generate funds for researching ways to defeat the disease, said Florence Duffy, Jimmy Duffy’s widow.
Also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, ALS affects 12,000 people in the United States, according to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders.
The event has grown in its six years, raising as much as $5,000 last year, said Florence Duffy.
This year’s attendance was the largest, she added. The money raised goes to the ALS Association of Greater Philadelphia.
“If we could help somebody else, that’s why we do it,” she said. “Every little bit helps.”
Duffy died two years after his diagnosis in 2007 at 67 and had some tough time while battling the disease, Florence said.
“I would tell anyone facing ALS to stay strong and take it one day at a time,” she said.
The party was held at the Hughestown Hose Company and included a full menu provided by Peculiar Culinary Company, basket raffles, homemade baked goods and many games for the children.
Most important, those gathered together enjoyed time with each other and provided support for those who may have similar situations in their lives, Duffy said.
The purpose is to have a good time, she added saying the event to her is “bittersweet.”
Miranda Philbin, who owns Peculiar Culinary with her husband Gene, said they were happy to help a “good cause” when they were approached about catering the event.
“We saw it as a way to give back to the community,” Philbin said.
