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By Anna Orlando / Staff Writer
Friday, January 23, 2004

Dale Wolbrink has been using her knowledge of the race car industry and expertise in marketing and public relations to help in the fight against Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), more commonly known as Lou Gehrig's Disease.

Wolbrink, who has lived in Norton for about a year, was recently elected secretary for the ALS Family Charitable Foundation, Inc, an independent non-profit organization formed in 2001 to support patient programs and research for A.L.S. through fundraising efforts.

"As secretary on the board, I do some marketing and fund raising," said Wolbrink. "Racing has been really helpful for (spreading) awareness (of the disease)."

As the owner of Motor Sports Marketing Company and having grown up with a father who owned race cars Wolbrink merged the two and came up with ALS Night at Seekonk Speedway, a fund raiser for the foundation. The fund raiser has been successful and is now in its third year.

"Auto racing has become one of the fastest growing spectator sports and it has given us that voice with people," Wolbrink said who has also worked for Speedway Scene, a newspaper about car racing.

Last year, the ALS Night raised just shy of $3,000 and that was after is was postponed due to inclement weather, Wolbrink said.

Some of the national racing teams, like the Nextel Cup teams, support the ALS Night at Seekonk Speedway by donating items for the Foundation to raffle off, Wolbrink said.

"With my involvement with motor sports I knew the power of racing," said Wolbrink, who attends races with the Able Motor Sports team in Norton every Saturday night. Wolbrink said she has been friends with the team "for a very long time," she said.

Gary Mattos, a Norton resident and owner of the Norton-based Able Motorsports, agreed to have the Foundation's contact information and the saying "Race for a Cure" on his race car for all to see. Mattos and his team have earned three NASCAR Pro Stock championships at Star Speedway in Epping, New Hampshire.

The ALS Night and having the foundation's information on Mattos' race car have sparked some interest in others.

"Not a lot of people ask for information, but it peaks the interest of people who know a little more about (the disease) and it gives them the push to get a little more involved," Wolbrink said.

More than 300,000 people living in the United States today will be afflicted with A.L.S making it more common than multiple sclerosis or Huntington's disease, according to the ALS Family Charitable Foundation's Web site.

Wolbrink became active in the foundation when a friend's father was diagnose with ALS.

"Mary Ann (Singersen), one of the founders (of the Foundation) is a friend of the family and has known me since I was 10 years old and I started helping her," said Wolbrink. "I started doing volunteer work with her."

The foundation was formed when Singersen, who lost her father to ALS in 1998, met Donna Jordan of Kingston who lost her brother to the disease also in 1998.

"In 1999, Donna and I both became employees of a chapter of the ALS Association," Singersen said. "In 2001 we left the organization and formed the ALS Family Charitable Foundation, Inc."

Ever since then, Wolbrink has been involved in the organization.

Hundreds of thousands of dollars have been raised through fund raisers, Singersen said. The money raised is used to provide much needed services to patients and families coping with the disease.

ALS. Night is not the only fundraiser.

Linda Abreu of Norton is on the foundation's board of directors and helps out with the foundations biggest annual fund raiser, the Cliff Walk , a seven-mile walk at the Cape Cod Canal.

"I assist Dale (Wolbrink and Mary Ann (Singersen) ," Abreu said. "The other directors and I volunteer our time and lend our support."

The walk was started by Cliff Jordan Jr., Donna Jordan's brother, the year before he died of the disease. The walk is now in its eight year.

"(Cliff) started the walk before he passed away," Wolbrink said. "He just gathered up some friends and to raise money. Donna kept it going. Last year there were over 800 walkers."

ALS is one of the most tragic diseases, said Abreu, a friend of Donna Jordan's.

"I went to high school with her," Abreu said. "Donna's brother was diagnosed (with ALS) the same year my nephew was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis and we gave support to each other."

ALS erodes a person's motor neurons and eventually leads to total paralysis and the inability to speak and swallow, according to the foundation's Web site.

On Saturday, Jan.17 hosted the A.L.S. Superkart Challenge at F1 Boston in Braintree, an indoor go cart center.

"We try to stress with the fund raisers that it is such a horrific disease that takes it toll on the victim and the family," Wolbrink said. "That's why we try to make the fund raisers fun. With the walk we have a big picnic lunch at the end and have face painting for the children. We give people the opportunity to go out and have fun."

Anyone wishing to learn more about the disease or would like to get involved in the foundation can visit the Foundation's Web site, www.alsfamily.org, or call (508) 759-9696.