SAN DIEGO (May 9, 2024) – San Diego’s Favorite® hotel and casino, Valley View Casino & Hotel, is thrilled to announce its participation in hosting the 9th Annual ALS Fiesta Fundraiser for the ALS Association. On Wednesday, May 15 at 5pm, Valley View Casino & Hotel will host over 200 guests for a special night that will help raise awareness, funding and support for the ALS Association and global research, nationwide advocacy and local care.
The ALS Association is the largest private funder of research worldwide with a mission to discover treatments and a cure for ALS, and to serve, advocate for, and empower power affected by ALS to live their lives to the fullest. Valley View Casino has been a longtime sponsor, believing in and supporting the ALS Association’s mission. It is a widely beloved event that the Valley View team and attendees look forward to every year.
“All 1,000 of our tremendous team members always look forward to hosting our Annual ALS Fiesta Fundraiser,” says Bruce Howard, General Manager of Valley View Casino & Hotel. “Partnering with the incredibly kind and compassionate ALS Family has been so special and means so much to us these past nine years. We are proud to say that every dollar raised at every ALS Fiesta goes directly to the ALS Association for much-needed research and equipment as we continue to work together to find the cure, we are all hopeful of.”
The event will be emceed by ALS Advocate and ‘Good Morning San Diego’ Reporter, Allie Wagner. Wagner is very involved in the ALS community as she reported on the very first ALS Fiesta event nine years ago. This night will begin with poolside cocktails and hors d’oeuvres, a gourmet dinner and refreshments, an exciting auction, live music, other featured speakers and much more, recognizing the advances in ALS research. This year’s featured speakers and guests include the following:
- Brett P. Monia, Ph.D., CEO, Ionis Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
- Christopher M. Ward, Assembly Member 78th District, representing San Diego and El Cajon, Champion of Hope Awardee
- Calaneet Balas, CEO of the ALS Association
- Steve Fisher – Former head basketball coach, SDSU. Son Mark living with ALS
- Brian Dutcher – Current head basketball coach, SDSU. ALS advocate
- Kuldip Dave – Senior Vice President for Research, the ALS Association
The ALS Fiesta is more than just a fundraising event; it symbolizes teamwork and hope for the ALS community. It rallies individuals, businesses and researchers together in the fight against the devastating disease. Through the dedication of the ALS community, our supporters and those in the fight against ALS, supporters are making progress toward finding effective treatments and ultimately, a cure for ALS.
This year will mark the 10th anniversary of the Ice Bucket Challenge, a global phenomenon that changed the fight against ALS forever. Eleven global research collaborations have already resulted in two new antisense drugs, with one developed by Ionis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. in Carlsbad, California. The organization takes pride in San Diego’s contribution to this global effort and remains committed to their cause.
Steve Becvar, Vice President, Sports & Entertainment for the ALS Association and former Executive Director for the Greater San Diego Chapter shared, ”Our local Care Service team is dedicated to enhancing the quality of life and providing support to families impacted by ALS. We support our families through our wonderful network of local and national partners. Together, this vital support ensures access to necessary resources, equipment and therapies for individuals and families impacted by ALS. We are proud to be in our 9th year of hosting the Annual ALS Fiesta, a critical source of funding for over 230 ALS patients in the San Diego region.”
Valley View works together with all its business partners so all proceeds from this event will directly support the ALS Association and its ALS patient programs in the Greater San Diego region. For more information, please click here. For media inquiries, please email PR@TeamInnoVision.com.