Innovation plays a key role in The ALS Association’s fight to develop treatments and a cure for ALS and to empower people living with the disease to live their lives to the fullest. During June and July, we are celebrating some of the key innovations helping us change the nature of ALS forever.

Your generosity supports the ALS community from every angle. Not only do your contributions help to further research for a cure, but they also strengthen advocacy and provide compassionate care to people living with ALS right now.

One aspect of care you may not have considered before is travel and transportation. ALS makes any kind of travel much more complicated, even local trips most of us take for granted, like going to the movies or visiting relatives.

To make sure our community gets services that enhance quality of life, The ALS Association provides guidance around travel while living with ALS as well as direct transportation resources.

The ALS Association Georgia Chapter recently went above and beyond to provide such support through access to reliable transportation. Their pioneering Paul B. Williams Transportation Program was launched on October 1, 2017, and has since fulfilled requests for non-emergency trips to ALS medical clinic appointments, as well as non-medical and personal trips.

The program was privately funded with a generous commitment from Linda Williams, who wanted to help other families in honor of her late husband, Paul.

Linda put it very well when she said: “My hope is that this program will allow patients with ALS and their families to [fully] enjoy […] their days together. My hope is that these brave warriors will be able to go wherever they can go in a van that will accommodate their disability. They will be able to travel with their families in a modern wheelchair accessible van, and they won’t have to pay anything at all.”

And her hopes are coming true. Here are a few expressions of gratitude from families benefiting from the Paul B. Williams Transportation Program:

• “What a wonderful opportunity you all gave us. My sister was able to see her only child/only senior on the team play and win the state championship.”
• “Thank you, thank you, thank you [….] Your program has allowed him to take a short trip to see family and provides peace of mind when transporting him to appointments. Please know your program has made a world of difference during this extremely difficult journey.”

Linda’s financial support is allowing the chapter to fully sustain the Paul B. Williams Transportation Program going forward.  And the program is just one example of our commitment to enhancing the lives of people living with ALS and their families through comprehensive and creative programs.