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Empire City Casino to host Yonkers' Second Annual ALS Ice Bucket Challenge3 August 2016(PRESS RELEASE) -- Mayor Mike Spano and City Council President Liam McLaughlin today announced the City of Yonkers, along with Yonkers native Pat Quinn, will host the Second Annual ALS Ice Bucket Challenge on Sunday, Aug. 7 at 1 p.m. trackside at Empire City at Yonkers Raceway. The free festivities will run from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and will include music and family-friendly entertainment; highlighted by the ice bucket challenge at 1 p.m. Quinn, diagnosed with ALS and one of the co-founders of the global phenomena Ice Bucket Challenge, will lead hundreds of participants in a simultaneous ice bucket challenge to reignite the viral social media movement throughout the month of August to benefit ALS research. "Pat Quinn's fight and determination to combat this horrible disease has been nothing short of inspirational," said Mayor Spano. "With Pat as our fearless leader, the City of Yonkers hopes to recharge the energy we feel as part of the Ice Bucket Challenge. We encourage any and all to join us on Aug. 7 so we can continue to make strides in finding a cure to ALS." "Yonkers is proud to once again host the ALS ice bucket challenge," Council President McLaughlin said. "Pat Quinn, the Quinn family and our friends at Empire City Casino and Home Depot have done so much to make this event a success which will set the bar for raising awareness about ALS nationwide. Pat has courageously and selflessly turned his battle with ALS into one of the largest movements this world has ever seen. We are proud to join him in that effort." The Aug. 7 event will take place at Empire City Casino on the trackside apron. This is the second year Empire City Casino has supported the Ice Bucket Challenge providing the event venue, manpower, hundreds of gallons of water, and 2,000 pounds of ice to make the event a reality. Participants will receive a bucket, donated by Home Depot, filled with ice water and join Pat Quinn in simultaneously dumping the buckets of ice water over their heads. Pat Quinn commented, "I'm beyond grateful for the continued support from Mayor Mike Spano, City Council President Liam McLaughlin, and the entire City of Yonkers. I'm extremely proud to know Quinn for the Win and Yonkers were a major catalyst in making this happen. We live by the mantra, 'Every August Until A Cure.' Although last summer did wonders for our battle, we still have no cure for ALS. Please join me Aug. 7 at Empire City Casino to kick off the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge in Yonkers. Not only will it be fun, you will be a part of something special." "We are excited and proud to be again be the host site of such an important effort," said Tim Rooney, president and CEO of Empire City Casino at Yonkers Raceway. "ALS is a devastating illness, and continuing to raise awareness and research funds is vital." Those interested in participating in the Aug. 7 event, are urged to register via the Yonkers website. The event is free and open to all ages. No donation is required to participate. Proceeds from the event will be donated to "Quinn for the Win," which benefits Pat Quinn's care as well as not-for-profit ALS research organizations. Mayor Spano added, "Special thanks to our partners at Empire City Casino and Home Depot for committing to the cause and once again being good neighbors to Yonkers. We are proud that our Yonkers community is joining forces to support Pat Quinn and others fight ALS." Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), often referred to as "Lou Gehrig's Disease," is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and the spinal cord. When the motor neurons die, the ability of the brain to initiate and control muscle movement is lost. With voluntary muscle action progressively affected, patients begin to suffer from muscle weakness and muscle atrophy. They can lose the ability to easily handle simple tasks like shaving or buttoning a shirt. In the later stages of the disease, patients may become completely paralyzed. ALS usually strikes people between the ages of 40 and 70, and approximately 20,000 Americans suffer from the disease. ALS is a disease with no known cure. Pat Quinn, 33 years old, was diagnosed with ALS in March 2013. For more information, visit the Yonkers, New York website or Pat Quinn's website. |