In the Dugout is the quarterly newsletter for the Live Like Lou Foundation, bringing an inside look at the incredible work of our volunteers and researchers. It also shares how our funds help us leave ALS better than we found it and highlights all we’re doing in honor of our namesake and baseball Hall of Famer Lou Gehrig and the more than 20,000 people living with Lou Gehrig’s disease every day.

In late 2022, Live Like Lou awarded nine ALS families with grants ranging from $1,000 to $2,500 each to complete home improvement projects that became necessary following their loved one’s ALS diagnosis. This pilot grant program was launched in the Mid-Atlantic/Chesapeake region (serving parts of Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and West Virginia) thanks to a generous $7,500 grant from the UPS Foundation in that region. Live Like Lou matched this gift and awarded a total of $15,000 for this pilot program.

We are just four months beyond when families received their grant funds and we have heard from several families with stories about the impact of these funds. Read their stories here! We are pleased to share that these grants are now available to all registered Live Like Lou families and the application is now open and grants will be awarded on a rolling basis throughout 2023.

Lou Gehrig played what would be his final big-league game on April 30, 1939, at 35 years old. We’re just two days away from that date and as we’re in the middle of the MLB season, it’s hard to imagine what the Iron Horse was thinking as he played his 2,130th consecutive game for the Yankees—which would ultimately be his last.

Those who have witnessed a loved-one's confounding decline leading up to an ALS diagnosis understand—history would be made just a few short weeks after he ultimately benched himself. Lou’s incredible courage, determination, and gratitude would be on full display as he shared with the world his diagnosis. It is this example that we continue to find inspiration from as we leave ALS better than we found it in honor of Lou, the more than 400 ALS families we serve, and the over 75 emerging ALS researchers in the Live Like Lou family.

Steven and Michelle Diehl registered with Live Like Lou in the fall and our friends from Phi Delta Theta at the University of Alabama were able to serve the family last weekend, just ahead of Steven’s birthday. Not only were they able to help with yard work, but they brought balloons for Steve, and Michelle made them a delicious lunch to enjoy together. “I can't say thank you enough. They all were very polite and so sweet,” shared Michelle. “My dog had a great time playing with some of the guys. These guys would make Lou Gehrig proud!”

We love hearing the stories of impact our ALS family programs make. We’re grateful to our volunteers and the mighty ALS families they serve for allowing Live Like Lou to be part of their story. If your family has a project you’d like help tackling in/around your home, register today and we’ll get to work on finding volunteers. Interested in serving an ALS family in your area? Phi Delts can register here. Not a Phi Delt, but you’d like to serve an ALS family? We'd love to work with you!

The Live Like Lou Foundation proudly supports Hope Loves Company, an organization that provides free-of-charge programs designed for the children and grandchildren of people with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Together with our partners at Phi Delta Theta, Lou Gehrig's fraternity, and as part of our commitment to leave ALS better than we found it, we connect volunteers to participate as camp counselors at regional camps throughout the year, to give these brave kids experiences they might not otherwise enjoy because of the disease in their family.

If your family is interested in attending Camp HLC, registration is underway for camps in New Jersey, Massachusetts, Illinois, Indiana, Georgia, and California.

If you are interested in serving as a camp counselor, register here! Learn more about Live Like Lou’s partnership with HLC.

Live Like Lou Mug Giveaway

In case you missed it, follow Live Like Lou on social media and you’ll have a chance to win a Live Like Lou travel mug. With a cork bottom and leak-proof lid, this mug keeps your beverage of choice ready to enjoy. Be sure you’re following us and comment or tag a friend before May 4 to win!

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As we wrap up this quarter’s In the Dugout, we reflect on an incredible few months of progress, activity, and devotion for Live Like Lou. Here are just a few of the many additional highlights of what we’ve been up to:

• The Vandy Boys, Vanderbilt University’s baseball team, hosted a two-game series in March to help raise funds and awareness for ALS research in support of Live Like Lou’s It's a Whole New Ballgame for ALS Research campaign. Seeing the players and coaches all wearing Lou’s number four jersey and boasting the Live Like Lou logo on their sleeves sure made our hearts smile. Special thanks to Coach Tim Corbin for his dedication to Live Like Lou and the ALS community in honor of his dear friend who had ALS.
• Live Like Lou is coming to a ballpark near you for the third annual Lou Gehrig Day in Major League Baseball! Check out where you can find us and our friends at Phi Delta Theta Fraternity this summer.
• ALS Awareness Month is in May! Stay tuned to Live Like Lou social media for education, resources, and news to bolster the ALS community. Share our posts with your network to help spread awareness for this disease.
• We received a record 85 applications for Live Like Lou’s Iron Horse Scholarships earlier this year. Our selection committee identified 19 incredible finalists and recipients will be announced in the coming days. We are honored to support ALS families in pursuing higher education with our record number of scholarships and awards presented this year.  

We’ll be back in touch in a few months with even more good news. Thank you for being interested in the Live Like Lou Foundation and our work to leave ALS better than we found it.