Raising awareness for ALS and supporting ALS research.
6th Spike ALS volleyball tournament
April 27, 2024
Two new teams won this year's volleyball tournament! After years of participation, recreational team, Marvel Federation of Filipino Canadians won their division. Another long term participant, Six Piece Nuggets won this year's intermediate division. Congratulations to everyone on a great day of volleyball for ALS.
5th Spike ALS
April 29, 2023
Thank you to everyone who joined Spike ALS on April 29.
Whether you took part in the competitive or recreational competitions, we were so happy to have you with us. Congratulations to this year's champions!
Competitive: How I Set Your Mother
Recreational: St. Rob's for Gianni #2
See you next year!
5th Annual 5k Intentional Walk for ALS
June 4, 2022
Our 5th Annual 5k Intentional Walk was held on June 4 at the Pride of Canada Carousel. Thank you to all our sponsors, donors, attendees and friends for helping to make it a great morning! Special thanks to our title sponsor, Equitable Bank and our location sponsor the Remington Group. We are so grateful to have shared the morning with our special guests Mark and Gianni.
4th Annual Spike ALS
April 30, 2022
At long last, we held our 4th Annual Spike ALS volleyball tournament. We missed being at Beach Blast but happy our friends still were able to help us out! Thanks Josh! On hard court we saw our teams battle it out for supremacy! Congratulations to Legends of the Ten Ballz for being this year's champs! Congrats to our team spirit winners Shakira Madrigal! :) We hope to see everyone next year!
4th Annual Exhale Hope for ALS
(this time in a vineyard)
September 15, 2021
It has been some time since we have been able to have a true in-person event and what better way to celebrate than yoga in a vineyard at sunset. Our gentle and mindful hour of yoga was led by our friend Swaati (of Yoga with Swaati). Yoga was followed by a glass of wine and our individually made charcuterie boxes. See you next year!
3rd Annual Spike ALS
November 02, 2019
On Saturday, November 2, we held our 3rd Annual Spike ALS indoor beach volleyball tournament. This year's winners included 4's Champs Dr. Pirate Balls who took back their 2017 championship and 6's Champs Bumpin Uglies who took down 2017 and 2018 Champs How I Set Your Mother. Thank you to all our participants, sponsors, volunteers and friends were making the day great! We look forward to seeing you next year at Beach Blast on Saturday, November 7, 2020.
5th Anniversary ALS Ice Bucket Challenge
August 17, 2019
We celebrated the 5th anniversary of the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge on August 17 at VanSpall's No Frills in Markham! Thank you to everyone who came out to say hello, learn a little more about ALS and was generous with their donations. Thank you to our friends who also took the challenge despite the rather chilly day.
3rd Annual Exhale Hope for ALS
March 30, 2019
On Saturday, March 30, we collected breathed hope into the ALS community during our Exhale Hope for ALS yoga event. The event was well attended and participants enjoyed a variety of yoga styles led by our friends at Ananda Yoga Studios. Thank you to our sponsors: the Remington Group, Van Spall's No Frills and Reyes I Make Cakes.
2nd Annual Spike ALS Indoor Beach Volleyball Tournament
November 03, 2018
On Saturday, November 3, 2018, ALS Double Play held their 2nd Annual Spike ALS Indoor Beach Volleyball tournament at Beach Blast. A fun day of competition was had by all with Bumpin' Boggarts as this year's 4's Champs and How I Set Your Mother defending their Championship 6's title from last year. We look forward to seeing you all next year on Saturday, November 2, 2019.
June 09, 2018
Our 3rd Annual 5k Intentional Walk for ALS was another great success! Thank you to everyone who participated, fundraised, donated and cheered us on in our efforts to one day make ALS history!
April 14, 2018
On Saturday, April 14, with the threat of ice pellets and freezing rain, we held our 2nd Annual Exhale Hope for ALS event at the York Region Administrative Centre in Newmarket. Yogis and Yoginis alike enjoyed three hours of yoga bliss for ALS led by our friends from Ananda Yoga Studios. We also enjoyed sweet treats from Sweet Dozen and fruit from First Choice Supermarket. Thank you to everyone who came out in the crazy weather! We look forward to seeing everyone again soon!
4th Annual Purple Carpet Event
March 03, 2018
On Saturday, March 3, ALS Double Play held its 4th Annual Purple Carpet Event. We screened family favourite film, Despicable Me. When tragedy strikes a person diagnosed with ALS, it takes an entire village to help that person thrive, while living through some of their most trying times. Our inspiration, Christopher Chiu, was always comforted by visits from his friends and by the unending support of his family. This is why it was important to us to ensure that as many of our friends could bring their entire family with them to our event. We hoped you had as much fun as we did!
2017 Lab Event
November 15, 2017
On Wednesday, November 15, we held a special event at the Tanz Centre for Neurodegenerative Diseases in the ALS research lab. Our guests learned about the lab and the latest information in ALS research and were treated to lab tours. ALS Double Play was proud to present their donation instalment toward the Christopher Chiu Fellowship for ALS research. Dr. Philip McGoldrick, the Christopher Chiu Fellow, presented information on his research of the C9orf72 gene and its relationship with ALS.
2017 Spike ALS presented by Country Wide Homes and Condor Properties
September 23, 2017
It was the second day of fall, but felt like mid-July on September 23, 2017 for our first annual Spike ALS beach volleyball tournament at Beach Blast. The competition was fierce and fun and there was a lot of volleyball played! We enjoyed indoor and outdoor volleyball and a delicious bbq lunch - all in memory of our favourite volleyballer and inspiration, Christopher Chiu, who spent many, many hours at beach volleyball pre-ALS.
Abby's Lemonade Stand
August 05, 2017
6 year old Abigail Grace had been begging her mother to let her have a lemonade stand. She's been wanting to raise money for ALS since her uncle had been diagnosed with it in 2011. Sadly, Abby's uncle Christopher passed on October 31 in 2016.
Finally, this August, Abby's mother let her use her brother's birthday party as a platform to sell lemonade for both ALS research and her church. Abby raised over $150 and donated $75 to ALS research.
Congratulations and thank you Abby!
2017 Night It Up!
July 16, 2017
From July 14 to 16 we were partying it up at Night It Up! the GTA's largest Night Market! This amazing weekend long event is put on by Power Unit Youth Organization, a not-for-profit org of youth leading and mentoring youth. We were proud to be this year's beneficiary and loved the opportunity to raise awareness. Shout Out to Reel Asian Film Fest for showing our short film, My Son, Christopher before their films on Friday and Saturday night. And Arrowonics for your awesome drone shows. Big hugs to songstress Jessica Leung for her shout outs to us during her performances.
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Power Unit Youth Org we think you are amazing. BIG HUGE GIGANTIC thanks to President, Cheryl Ng and Beneficiary Director, Dean Shoojat for your support and assistance and enthusiasm this year!
2017 Intentional Walk for ALS presented by National Homes
June 10, 2017
Saturday, June 10, was sunny and warm. We all felt the warm of our loved ones shining down on us. It was the 2nd annual 5k Intentional Walk for ALS. The day brought out another 250 friends to walk together to raise awareness for ALS and funds for ALS research. What a great day it was!
3rd Annual Purple Carpet Event presented by the Remington Group
March 30, 2017
On Thursday, March 30, we held our 3rd Annual Purple Carpet Event with a screening of Gleason.
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Gleason is a documentary about Steve Gleason, an ex-NFL New Orleans Saints player who was diagnosed with ALS with 2011, just months before the birth of his first son, Rivers. Gleason shows the true, naked realities of ALS, the diagnosis, the disbelief, the determination to beat the illness, the need to try anything possible to get better, the realization that ALS will not go away, and the desire to make things right.
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You can watch Gleason today on iTunes.
Exhale Hope for ALS Yoga Event presented by Time Group
October 01, 2016
On Saturday, October 1, we held our first three hour yoga event, Exhale hope for ALS. The Great Hall of the York Region Administrative Centre was the perfect venue for our stretching, standing poses and vinyasas. Participants were able to join us for one hour or all three. Congratulations to everyone who participated and exhaled hope into the ALS community.
2016 Take A Swing At ALS
August 13, 2016
On a rare rainy day, 100 of ALS Double Play's friends joined them in cheering on the Toronto Blue Jays in a 4-2 win against the Houston Astros! We got on the jumbotron and our "ALS Double Play says Make it Rain" sign got on tv, thanks to Josh Donaldson's home run! Thanks to everyone who came out and helped us raise awareness of ALS.
Environmental Services BBQ for ALS Double Play
August 26, 2015
The City of Markham's Environmental Services branch dedicated their bbq fundraising to ALS Double Play. There was music, games, the ice bucket challenge and of course, great bbq. The bbq raiased close to $1000 for us! Thank you Environmental Services friends!