Change is inevitable. For people, for communities, for organizations. Even if we are seemingly staying the same, we are in some subtle ways changing with the world around us. It is the nature of things that even that which appears static is not entirely so. Change is inevitable.
In that spirit, our Chapter Staff and Board of Directors are pleased to inform you that effective today, The ALS Association St. Louis Regional Chapter has joined the unified ALS Association, moving from a federated chapter to join one single organization—one team with one mission. To support our team, we are now part of one of 10 territories nationwide, with Colleen Wachter serving as our territory executive. Previously Colleen was executive director of our neighboring Mid-America Chapter, located in Kansas City.
So what does this change mean for our local community? It will not mean any change to our commitment to people with ALS here. People living with ALS and their families are at the center of everything we do and every decision we make, today and always. Our Care Services staff will continue to carry on with their vital work and support. The care staff you have come to know and rely upon is still present and continuing to do their good work. As a unified organization, we are working to identify ways to ensure that every person living with ALS is able to access the services and care they need, no matter what zip code they live in.
What this change will mean is greater investments in care, advocacy, and research. As you may be aware, in May of 2021, all 39 Chapters of The ALS Association and the national home office of the Association launched a new strategic plan that set forth a bold goal—to make ALS a livable disease by 2030 as we continue to work toward a cure. We’ve seen exciting progress in these areas over the last few years, and we want to build on that momentum. As we come together as one team, we combine the strengths of our experts and resources. We will be strategically aligned, fiscally efficient, and community-based. We will stay connected to our community by maintaining our office, staff, clinics, and volunteer networks, while continuing to build upon them. What this change will mean is:
- More clinic support and participation.
- More advocacy work on behalf of people living with ALS.
- More investments in promising research.
- More social, educational and medical and economic support resources.
We know the goals we have set are ambitious, and we need you to continue to be with us as we work together to meet them. Rest assured that you are an important part of this work as you always have been. Thank you for your support—past, present and future—as we work to find effective treatments, and a cure. Because what has not changed is that it will take all of us, together, to end ALS.
Until there is a cure,
The ALS Association St. Louis Regional Chapter Staff and Board of Directors
ALS CONNECT 