Fire Chief Gets Soaked with CEOs at ALS Association Fundraiser
Aug 25, 2022 12:00AM ● By By Patrick Larenas
Top row (L-R): Jeff Rosenblum, ALS Leadership Council Member; Stephanie Cardenas, Director of Development; Jennifer Tomarelli, Territory Marketing and Communications Manager; Amy Sugimoto, Senior Vice President of Territory Management; Tony Sertich, ALS Leadership Council; Ann Graef, ALS Leadership Council Member; Nancy Wakefield, Managing Director Care Services; Brandy Weigand, Managing Director, Development; Cherie Felsch, ALS Leadership Council Member; Heather Dawson, Care Services Manager; Stephanie Stinson, Caregiver Support Manager. Middle/Bottom row (L-R): Todd Harms, Fire Chief, Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District; Marty McGartland, ALS Leadership Council Member and Retired, Natoma Technologies; Michael Creedon, Regional Manager, Mobility Works; Brandi Rollins, Director, Operations and Control, Lock 'n' Stitch; Heinz Ludke, ALS Leadership Council Member and person living with ALS; Vladimir Ochoa-Diaz, person living with ALS; Patrick Dunlap, Managing Director, Volunteer Engagement; Lisa Parks Ferro, Broker and Owner, The Blue Waters Group; Bree Gold, Territory Executive; Matt Sinner, Area Vice President, Maxim Healthcare Services; and Jeremy Macdonald, CEO, Bonney Plumbing, Heating and Air. Photo courtesy of Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District
SACRAMENTO, CA (MPG) – The Greater Sacramento Chapter of ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis) Association recently partnered with Sacramento Downtown Commons (DOCO) at 405 K Street, Sacramento for its inaugural CEO Soak to raise funds for those suffering from what’s commonly known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease.
On August 12, CEOs from the region participated in ALS Association’s ice bucket soaking to donate a total of $15,265 for the association’s efforts in providing funds in a three-pronged approach against the disease, including patient care, public policy, and global research.
Senior Vice President of Territory Management for the ALS Association, Amy Sugimoto, stated, “Our programs and services allow for people across the 24 counties we serve to have access to support group meetings, durable medical equipment such as wheelchairs and ramps, speech communication devices, and so much more.”
Patrick Dunlap, Managing Director in the Western Region, said, “Eight years ago, millions of people dumped buckets of ice water on their heads for the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge; This global social media sensation shined a much-needed light on an underfunded and misunderstood disease.”
“Basically, this was the first year for Sacramento and the west,” said Dunlap, to participate in the CEO Soak to help raise vital funds for the Association to find a cure for ALS.
One of those CEOs soaked for his efforts at bringing in funds through his agency and generosity was Sacramento Metro Fire Chief Todd Harms. “I was honored to participate in the first annual CEO Soak to bring more awareness to this very important cause,” he said.
Harms noted that his awareness of the progressive neurodegenerative disease was raised when “a dear friend and former board member of Metro Fire was diagnosed with ALS a few years ago.” The Fire Chief thanked all “[who] contributed in his name with donations.”
Other Sacramento region CEOs contributing for the soak included Lisa Ferro of Blue Waters Mortgage in Folsom; Jeremy Macdonald CEO of Bonney Plumbing of Rancho Cordova; Marty McGartland, Retiree of Natoma Technologies; Matt Sinner, Area Vice President, Maxim Healthcare Services; Michael Creedon, Regional Manager, Mobility Works; Brandi Rollins, Director, Operations and Control, Lock ‘n’ Stitch; Mike Beams, Maxim Healthcare Services; and Beza Admassu, Maxim Healthcare Services.
The total amount the ALS Association received in donations was 61 percent of their target goal of $25,000 for this first year of the event.
“Every single CEO who showed up at our inaugural CEO Soak for the Western Territory,” said Sugimoto, “is contributing and partnering with us to help people living with ALS. We are forever grateful for them.”
The ALS Association Greater Sacramento Chapter is located at 5701 Sunrise Blvd, Citrus Heights, California 95610. For more information visit www.als.org/greater-sacramento/events/ceo-soak-greater-sacramento or call (916) 233-5483.
