Library worker honoured

The ALS Society of Ontario has recognized the efforts of a Trent employee and her daughter in raising awareness in the Peterborough area for the debilitating illness known as Lou Gehrig's Disease.

Barbara Johns, an information services assistant in Trent's Bata Library, and her daughter Kathryn were presented with the award in May by the provincial society. Their award, one of a number presented annually to honour the work of volunteers, was for "Excellence in Support Group Facilitation."

Johns said she and her daughter worked with a group which founded an ALS Support Group in Peterborough just over a year ago, and have been providing various kinds of support to PšALS (persons with ALS) and their families.

Another member of the Group, Brenda Heise, received the Award for "Excellence in Public Awareness" during the same ceremony.

A fund raising event in late May let supporters "Ride/Run/Walk and Roll" in support of ALS research, and succeeded in raising more than $6,000.00.

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a progressive, fatal neurological disease affecting thousands of people across North America. ALS occurs when specific nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord that control voluntary movement gradually degenerate. ALS strikes in mid-life, with men about one-and-a-half times more likely than women to have the disease.

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