Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Words are not enough to express my sincere appreciation for the tremendous turnout and support for both the Thursday evening Gala and the Saturday morning 5K Walk/Fun Run.
The Gala, held at Aquesta Bank, was attended by over 200 people. Many thanks to those who donated to items for silent auction, to the restaurants who donated, prepared, and served the excellent food and drink, and of course, to Aquesta Bank and their exceptionally wonderful employees for all of their support. To date this event raised about $18,000 for the Help Dennis Walk fund which will help offset the rising medical expenses - checks are still coming in!
The rain that threatened to start at any time on Saturday morning did not deter any of the more than 200 people who participated in the 5K Walk/Fun Run. This was more than double the number of walker/runners we expected! Again, this special event brought in over $22,250 to help fund ALS research! Special thanks to Adam, the incredible runner who pushed me in my cruiser securing fourth place for us in the run!
I do not have the words to adequately express my appreciation to each and every one who participated in these events, including the volunteers, without whom none of this would have happened. I am honored and amazed that over $40,000 was raised between these two events. Sherry and I feel blessed to be a part of this great community.
With Heartfelt Thanks,
Dennis Coogle
Welcome to our inaugural 5K Walk/Fun Run presented by Aquesta Bank and PostNet Business Services in Jetton Village @ The Peninsula.
For the past 11 years I, Dennis Coogle, have had the extreme pleasure of owning and operating the PostNet at Jetton Village in Cornelius. For more than a decade I have enjoyed meeting thousands of Cornelius and Davidson residents. In fact my wife Sherry and I often remark that it seems like we've grown up with many friends and their families.
I'm reaching out to everyone, which is very difficult for me to ask, to help me raise awareness and funds to fight a horrible disease that most people know by the name Lou Gehrig's. Before September 2008 I still felt invincible much like when I was a teenager. Then the doctor told me “Dennis you have ALS”. With those four words my life was instantly changed forever in ways I never could imagine.
One of those changes is the way the Cornelius and Davidson community have embraced Sherry and I and offering to help both me personally and us as a couple together to raise funds to fight this truly horrible disease. That's the good news.
Here's the reality check. Persons diagnosed with ALS have received a death sentence much different than those persons diagnosed with most forms of cancer.
Without funding this disease will continue to claim over 30,000 husbands, wives, sons and daughters. And it does not discriminate in race or sex.
Many of you have heard of Lou Gehrig and his famous farewell speech on July 4th when he said “Fans, for the past two weeks in reading about the bad break I got. Yet today I consider myself the luckiest man on the face of this earth.......” Click here to listen
He died two years later from what is now call Lou Gehrig's disease.
