ALS Family Support

Our Programs

The Live Like Lou Foundation delivers meaningful volunteer support to ALS families.

Hands-on support in and around the home

Grants for respite and home improvement

Financial assistance for children in ALS families to pursue their higher education dreams

Register for the Live Like Lou

Connect and Serve Program

In partnership with Lou Gehrig’s Fraternity, Phi Delta Theta, Live Like Lou has hundreds of volunteers throughout North America who have registered to serve ALS families in their community.

register to receive supportregister to volunteer
Phi Delta Theta St. Louis Area Alumni

phi delta theta, St. Louis area alumni

This is the most heartwarming program I have ever seen. You do a beautiful job, make yards look so much better, and help people burdened with ALS feel connected and loved.

Clarke Family
Sandy, Oregon

I LOVE this program! My husband used to do the yard work, but now he’s confined to his chair and can’t do it. I dislike doing it, so it’s great to have someone come to help. This year, Conner M. came with a group of guys, and they were both polite and amazing! Their parents should be very proud of them.

Walker Family
Ephrata, Pennsylvania

The help I received to clean up the front of our house was awesome. The volunteer was kind and did an amazing job.

Pasqualini Family
Slippery Rock, Pennsylvania

Live Like Lou volunteers are available for one-time or short-term help in and around the home.

When your ALS family registers with the Live Like Lou Foundation, the organization will recruit a Phi Delta Theta volunteer near your home. Once matched with a volunteer, the two of you take it from there!

register to receive support
assistance includes
  • Spring cleaning

  • Yard work

  • Outdoor repairs

  • Painting

  • Cleaning windows

  • Hanging holiday lights

  • and more!

There is no fee or obligation from ALS families in exchange for this service, and families may cancel the arrangement at any time.

Live Like Lou services do not include medical equipment, supply handling, transportation, or financial support.

Learn more about Live Like Lou's service to ALS families.

Apply for an

Iron Horse Scholarship

Iron Horse Scholarships support dependents of individuals with ALS with financial grants for their post-secondary educational goals before or within five years of their loved one’s death from ALS.

In honor of Lou Gehrig's record for consecutive Major League Baseball games played, Iron Horse Scholarships provide up to $2,130/semester for up to four years (or eight semesters).

While there are no age or GPA requirements, the Live Like Lou Iron Horse Scholarship Selection Committee will give preference to applicants who demonstrate financial need and academic promise. At least one award per year will be reserved for students pursuing a career in a field that will benefit the ALS community. Awardees are expected to serve as ambassadors for Live Like Lou and the ALS community during their award period (approximately ten hours per year).

Finalists not selected for an Iron Horse Scholarship may be awarded one-time support.

An application does not guarantee an award or renewal, and all scholarship payments are made directly to a student’s institution of higher education.

The 2024 application is closed. Applications will open again in January 2025.  

Register to be notified when applications open.
Renovate your home with a

home improvement grant

Live Like Lou recognizes that an ALS diagnosis often comes with renovations in and around a family’s home to ensure accessibility and comfort.

Therefore, the Live Like Lou Foundation launched its home improvement grant program in 2022 with a pilot including the Mid-Atlantic/Chesapeake region (Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and West Virginia). In partnership with our friends at the UPS Foundation, they provided a grant to Live Like Lou to benefit families within this region.

Live Like Lou has expanded the program to the rest of the country for 2023. Awards are available for up to $2,500 for materials and equipment.

The application is due April 26, with decisions in late May.

ApplIcations are Open!
Deadline is april 26.
Apply for a

holiday respite grant

Registered Live Like Lou ALS families are eligible to receive a VISA gift card from the Live Like Lou Foundation during the holidays each year.

These gift cards are made possible through the generosity of donors and friends, with a wish for peace and strength.

The 2023 holiday respite grant application is closed. Check back in the fall of 2024! Register with us to learn when applications open.

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