Mike Gaines Charity Golf Tournament

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Jenelle Allen
Regional Public Affairs Coordinator
(480) 893-8004
jallen@mdausa.org



Mike Gaines Charity Golf Tournament

San Diego, Calif—Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA) is holding a golf tournament at Riverwalk Golf Club in San Diego, Friday, July 21 in honor of Mike Gaines. Mike Gaines was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS or Lou Gehrig’s disease) in 1999 and passed away in 2002.
Gaines organized the event, with his employer, Sundt Construction, to raise money for ALS. Mike Gaines was a member of the Sundt family for almost 20 years. He worked on projects in the U.S. and around the world. His last foreign assignment was in 1997 as a Senior Project Manager on the U.S. Embassy in Moscow. While in Moscow, Mike started experiencing the first symptoms of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, known as Lou Gehrig's Disease. He was diagnosed in 1999, and shortly thereafter was forced into retirement.
Mike knew there was nothing that could be done for him, but he wanted to be able to help others in the future. It was his idea to have a golf tournament to raise money for the MDA's research efforts to find a cure for ALS. After Gaines’ death, the golf tournament became an annual event in Tucson and tournaments were also added in Phoenix and San Diego.


Gaines attributed his remarkable inner strength to his wife, Becky, their two grown children, Casey and Wade, and their 5-year old granddaughter.
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The Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA) leads the worldwide scientific battle to find a cure for the disease, funding more ALS research than any other voluntary health agency in the United States. MDA has invested nearly $190 million in its ALS program.
MDA assists people with ALS and their families through clinics, support groups, educational materials, medical equipment loan closets, and financial assistance with the purchase of wheelchairs and communication devices.

MDA is a voluntary health agency working to defeat more than 40 neuromuscular diseases through programs of worldwide research, comprehensive services, and far-reaching professional and public health education. Individual private contributors fund the Association’s programs almost entirely.