Volunteers Take Swings At ALS At Daley Plaza Fundraiser
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Daley Plaza echoed with the sound of church bells and baseball bats pounding dents on an old car, all for a good cause Wednesday afternoon.
WBBM Newsradio's John Cody reports volunteers took swings at Lou Gehrig's Disease – still incurable after more than a century – by donating money to beat up on an Oldsmobile with an aluminum bat.
"I feel awesome, I really do. This is a lot of fun," one volunteer said. "There's a lot bigger of a target to hit, so it's a lot easier to put in home run power without missing."
Volunteers swung miniature aluminum bats, rather than full-sized ones, so they didn't destroy the car too quickly.
"A lot of people have a lot of aggression. A lot of people are very frustrated with the disease in general, so they're letting things out here at Daley Plaza. Sparks flying. Metal flying everywhere," said Maryilene Blondell, the association's development director.
It was part of the annual Cure 90/90 program hosted by the ALS Association of Greater Chicago – so named because every 90 minutes, someone is diagnosed with ALS, a progressive neurodegenerative disease.
Money raised by the event will go toward raising awareness and funding research of ALS.