ALS United Mid-Atlantic will host the 2025 Annual Celebration on Friday, November 14, at Live! Casino & Hotel. This special event highlights special honorees and recognizes key achievements, including the Flame of Hope Awards in ALS Care, Advocacy, and Research. Asplundh will be recognized for its outstanding support of the ALS community.
“ALS United Mid-Atlantic is proud to recognize Asplundh as our 2025 Annual Celebration honoree,” said Executive Director Jeff Cline. “This event will bring deserved attention to Asplundh’s significant impact on the ALS cause.”
Over the past two years, Asplundh has played a key role in the Philadelphia Phillies’ ALS Awareness Night. In 2024 and 2025, Asplundh presented donations to ALS United Mid-Atlantic in honor of former Chairman and CEO Scott Asplundh, who is living with ALS. These contributions established a fund in Scott’s name to support ALS United Mid-Atlantic’s care services.
The Annual Celebration will also include members of the Philadelphia Phillies organization. Since 1984, the Phillies have raised nearly $24 million to help provide care for people with ALS and support research toward new treatments and, eventually, a cure.
Jon “Boog” Sciambi will join the event as the keynote speaker. Sciambi, a play-by-play announcer for Marquee Sports Network, serves on the Board of Directors for Project Main St., a charity supporting people living with ALS. The organization was founded in 2006 by his childhood friend Tim Sheehy, who passed away from ALS in 2007.
The event will celebrate the 8th Annual Flame of Hope Awards. The Flame of Hope Awards recognize individuals who embody ALS United Mid-Atlantic’s mission priorities of Care Services, Advocacy, and Research and Innovation.
Flame of Hope for Care Services
Kathy Valentino, MSW, is a clinical social worker with the Joan Dancy & PALS Foundation, where she has served the needs of people living with ALS and their loved ones since 2008. From the very beginning, Kathy has worked closely with the ALS United Mid-Atlantic Care Services team to ensure people living with ALS and their families receive essential services and support. This partnership has benefited countless families in Central New Jersey over the last 17 years.
Flame of Hope for Advocacy
Gary Goldstein is a dedicated advocate for the ALS cause as a loving tribute to his wife Paula, who passed away from ALS in 2013. Since Paula’s passing, Gary has shared her story with state and federal lawmakers to encourage them to fully fund ALS care and research, including multiple visits to Washington, DC. Through his advocacy, Gary has built lasting relationships with others impacted by ALS. Gary has also supported ALS United Mid-Atlantic as a Community Ambassador, a Visiting Volunteer, and through the Paula J. Goldstein Memorial Fund.
Flame of Hope for Research & Innovation
The ALS Therapy Development Institute (ALS TDI) was founded in 1999 by Jamie Heywood for his brother Stephen, who was diagnosed with ALS at the age of 29. When Jamie realized there were no treatments available for Stephen, he set out to change that by creating the world’s first nonprofit biotech company. Today, ALS TDI is the largest drug discovery institute in the world focused solely on finding treatments for ALS. ALS United Mid-Atlantic has invested in important research projects at ALS TDI, including a Biotek Biospa Automated Incubator to run significantly more cell-based assays in iPS cell motor neurons. In recent years, ALS TDI has supported the ALS United Mid-Atlantic community by collaborating on our Help and Hope Symposium, podcasts, and advocacy efforts.
Tickets for the Annual Celebration start at $250. Sponsorship opportunities are also available. For more information on sponsorship packages, please contact Karen Powell at Karen@alsmidatlantic.org.
The event would not be possible without the dedicated members of our Event Committee.
Committee Co-Chairs:
Steven Asplundh, Chairman of the Board, Asplundh
Matthew Asplundh, CEO, Asplundh
John and Leigh Middleton
Vice Chairs:
Patti Lake-Quinn, Dan Quinn, and Ellyn C. Phillips
Committee Members:
Ruben Amaro, Jr., Karen Bishop Maxwell, Tony Burns, Regina Castellani, Sherry Clothier, Konnie Crawford and Greg Gross, Larry Delaney, Michele DeVicaris, Maryellen Fox, Bill Giles and Elizabeth Schumacher, Jamie Harbeson, Jeff Kurkjian, Tom McGivney, Lyn Montgomery, Peg and Mickey Morandini, Mary Ann Moyer, Scott Nickle, James Passaro, David Ricci, Loretta and John Russo, Kristin Sindoni, Kelly and Al Slipakoff, Marcia Telthorster, and John Weber.