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Mary Louise Pisone, associate financial representative with the McTigue Financial Group was awarded a Community Service Award for her work with the Les Turner ALS Foundation in Skokie, Ill. The organization is the nation's largest independent organization that helps fund research and patient care for those with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), better known as Lou Gehrig's disease. Mary Louise became involved with the foundation after her husband was diagnosed with the fatal disease in 2000. He died one and-a-half years after his diagnosis. "As my family learned more about ALS, we also learned that there is a very low awareness of the disease in our country," she said. "Through our involvement with the Les Turner ALS Foundation, we wanted to get the word out. It's been a way for us to at least have the illusion of control over such a debilitating disease." As part of her work, Mary Louise, along with her two daughters, organized an annual fundraising event – Rich Pisone's Rockin' Round the Clock. The family fundraiser invited people and organizations to build "rocking devices" that their team could keep rocking for as long as possible during a 24-hour period. With help from local vendors and musicians, the feel-good fundraiser helped raise $100,000 within three years. Building on this momentum, Pisone wanted to put her effort behind something even bigger to help the foundation. That's when she became instrumental in the foundation's ALS Walk 4 Life – Chicago as the family chairman and a walk team captain. In the past few years the awareness and monetary results have continued to increase. "In 2004 the walk raised $600,000 and last year we raised $750,000," she said. |
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2005 Community Service Award Winner, Mary Louise Pisone
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