Driving momentum: 2021 Annual Report to the community

ALS Awareness Month is drawing to a close, but our efforts to create a future without ALS continue year-round. Driven by the ALS community, we look to create connection and impact, sharing the progress towards our mission along the way. This includes sharing the ALS Society of Canada’s 2021 Annual Report to the community.   

Throughout the year, ALS Canada and our Community Services team in Ontario continued to navigate a virtual world. We designed a hybrid support and services model so people living with ALS and their caregivers were supported no matter the pandemic restrictions in place. 

Thanks to the generosity of our donors, we were able to deliver critical support and services, including the ALS Canada Equipment Program, to more than 1,200 people and families affected by ALS across Ontario. With the help of Community Leads like Joanna Oachis, whom you’ll read about in our Annual Report, families affected by ALS have received information and referrals to supports in their communities so they can navigate the course of ALS after a diagnosis. 

Meanwhile, ALS research holds more promise than ever. Researchers are working tirelessly to better understand the disease, to find targets, and identify treatments that can alter the course of the disease. ALS Canada is the only source of dedicated ALS research funding across Canada to advance this work, and we invested nearly $2 million through the ALS Canada Research Program last year.  

On the advocacy front, we continued to engage with elected officials to change the status quo – especially around expedited access to emerging ALS therapies. We also launched our inaugural Canadian ALS Learning Institute, an online, small-group learning experience to empower the ALS community to learn more about the research landscape and how new therapies become available to Canadians. 

ALS Canada receives no core government funding to support our mission work. Our work is fuelled by donors and an enthusiastic response to our fundraising events, which not only raise crucial funds but also build community and allow people affected by ALS to unite and drive momentum together. 

We are truly grateful for the many ways donors, fundraisers and volunteers came together around our shared cause. We encourage you to read more about the faces behind our mission and impact in the 2021 Annual Report to the community.