Category Archives: ALS Fundraising Events

ALS Fundraising Events, ALS Research Events, MOFF Blog

2021 Virtual Hike x Brunch Event

Posted on by MOFF
04
Jan

Thank you to all the participants of the 2021 MOFF Hike x Brunch! This year, we had hikers tuning in on their Facebook and Instagram accounts from San Luis Obispo (SLO), Danville, Marin, San Francisco, the OC, Lafayette, Cayucos, Morgan Hill, Irvine Hills, Santa Monica, Atascadero, Washington, and New York City. The winners of the instagram giveaway were: Caroline Chalmers and Rachel Dettmer! They won MOFF swag and a gift bag from Bronze Sun Spa in SLO.

We are incredibly grateful to the silent auction item donors and silent auction participants. The virtual silent auction took place on the MOFF Hike x Brunch event site and was a great success!

It was wonderful to see all the hikers who stopped by our MOFF table at the Patricia Street entrance of Felsman Loop in SLO. We had roses in place for hikers to take up to Martha’s memorial bench on the loop.

The Splash Cafe brunch boxes were a hit! Thank you to all the hikers who preordered brunch boxes and picked them up after their hike. $4 from each brunch box purchase went to MOFF.

Thank you to Cafe Andreini for giving away free coffee to raise awareness of ALS in our Central Coast community!

This event happens annually to raise awareness of ALS in our community and to raise money to fund ALS patient care and research. Martha was an avid hiker- we encourage everyone to go on an adventure and hike for all those with ALS who cannot hike anymore.

ALS Fundraising Events, ALS Research Events, Annual MOFF Golf Tournaments

8th Annual MOFF Golf Tournament Results

Posted on by MOFF
01
Jul

The 8th Annual MOFF Golf Tournament took place at Cypress Ridge Golf Course on Oct. 3, 2020. It was an incredible success! Thank you to all everyone who made the event possible: sponsors, golfers, volunteers, and silent auction participants. We could not have done it without each and every one of you.

Click to view tournament results

Interested in participating in the MOFF Golf Tournament next year? Make sure you are signed up for MOFF’s email communications here. 

Thank you to all our attendees for abiding by COVID-19 Safety Precautions!

  • Individual tee time format instead of a shotgun start.
  • 120 in-person golfer limit
  • Online silent auction
  • Guest speakers featured on the MOFF golf tournament event website.
  • CA mask guidelines and social distancing regulations were respected
  • Temperatures were taken
  • All golfer merchandise was handled with gloved hands
  • Hand washing and hand sanitizer usage was encouraged
  • Online awards ceremony
  • No Tapas Reception
Hike x Brunch

2020 Hike x Brunch: February 22

Posted on by MOFF
22
Feb

Thank you to everyone who joined us for the 6th Annual MOFF Hike x Brunch! Together we raised $6,716.80 to put towards ALS patient care and research.

The hike up Felsman Loop Trail was a wonderful reminder of Martha’s ability to motivate and educate each of us on the importance of exercise and healthy living. The sign at the bottom of the trail reminded us who we were hiking for: all those who cannot. The sign has the names of those our community has lost to ALS and also those that are currently living with the disease.

When we reached Martha’s memorial bench, Andrea and Natalie read a passage from Ryan Farnsworth’s book: Seeds of Light Sown. The poem is called: Old Wisdom Gained Young: 

“I have never heard the elderly lament, 

In wishing that they would have lived less,

Having packed too much life into their years.

I imagine instead that as their tired suns sink,

Back towards the horizon of their lives, 

Each moment becomes more precious. 

If asked for advice such an old one might say: 

Don’t put your dreams on a shelf labeled ‘someday,’

A day in the future when there will be more time, 

For time waits for no one. 

Live the life you want and do not wait or hesitate, 

While you are healthy and have the physical function, 

To spend your time in all of the ways you prefer. 

And I think to myself: 

We should not need to grow old, 

To gain such wisdom.”

The brunch portion of the event was educational and inspired hope. Jennifer McErlain from the ALS Therapy Development Institute (ALS TDI) showed a video that walked us through a virtual tour of the ALSTDI lab. She discussed how MOFF donors have contributed over $95,000.00 to different ALS research projects at ALS TDI over the past 5 years. She also mentioned Project Euphonia which is ALSTDI’s collaboration with Google that was recently featured on the Today Show. At the end of Jen’s talk, MOFF presented Jen with a $10,000.00 check to put towards their upcoming research on profilin1 ALS mouse models.

Thank you ALSTDI for all the incredible research you conduct and thank you to our supportive donors for allowing MOFF to fund research to find a cure for ALS.

If you have any photos that you would like to share from the event, please email them to giving@moffoundation.com. Thank you!

ALS Fundraising Events

#GivingTuesday

Posted on by MOFF
03
Dec

Giving Tuesday was on December 3, 2019. The MOFF Giving Tuesday campaign emphasized the urgency that the ALS disease state needs funding. Below are a few examples of how your donation can impact the ALS community.

  • ALS is an expensive disease and can cost up to $200,000.00 a year for a single ALS household.
  • There are currently over 170 individuals living with ALS on the Central Coast of CA.
  • It can cost up to $2 billion to develop a drug. This number gets inflated when it comes to ALS treatments because it is going to take gene therapy or a combination of several drugs to address the complexity of the disease.

The Martha Olson-Fernandez Foundation has funded ALS drug development efforts since 2014. Your support during Giving Tuesday is what allows us to provide financial support to families living in our area.

Thank You!

ALS Fundraising Events

7th Annual MOFF Golf Tournament

Posted on by MOFF
05
Oct

The weather was gorgeous out at Cypress Ridge Golf Course on October 5, 2019. Teams traveled from California and Arizona to support ALS patient care and research. Together we raised $114,680.00!! The VIP guests at the tournament were: Fred Fisher (President and CEO of The ALSA Golden West Chapter), Cherryl Goldstein (VP of Development for the ALSA Golden West Chapter), and Dr. Justin Ichida (USC Professor of Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine).

Results:

1st Place: Manny Silva, Brian Ball, Jon Pollock, Paul D’Ambra; Score: 55

2nd Place: Jim Orradre, Stephen Orradre, Duke Green, Bob Riddle; Score: 56

3rd Place: Nigel Whitehead, Josh Compton, Bill Compton, Will Sinclair; Score: 57

Hackers: Jerry Casey, Jennifer Taylor, Kyle Hooks, Kevin Voorhees; Score: 80

Closest to the pin (women): Karen Crawfis – 18ft

Closest to the pin (men): John Ronca – 9ft

Longest drive (women): Terri Garcia

Longest drive (men): Cliff Contreras

 

Awards Ceremony Speakers

We were honored to have Fred Fisher (left) discuss the impact of the MOFF Fund on patient care services on the Central Coast of CA.

Dr. Justin Ichida (right) discussed the ALS stem cell work his lab at the USC Keck School of Medicine has been conducting. The Ichida lab was the recipient of the ALS Research Grant Sponsorship ($10,000.00). The ALS Research Grant Donor was the Larry Fernandez Family. Read more about this transaction here. 

Registration Team

Photographers

Heckle Hole

Heck Hole Crew

Thank You Volunteers! Your positive energy and helpfulness made this event possible.

Click here to view the MOFF Golf Tournament top sponsors!
ALS Fundraising Events, ALS Walks

ALSA ALS Walks to Defeat ALS

Posted on by MOFF

SLO, East Bay, Sacramento & NYC ALS Association Walks to Defeat ALS

The Martha Olson Fernandez Foundation has participated in ALS Association Walks to Defeat ALS in San Luis Obispo, New York City, East Bay, and Sacramento and since 2012. For those of you that remember, in 2012 the Martha Olson-Fernandez Foundation participated in the SLO Walk to Defeat ALS with Martha under the team name of Martha’s Footprints. So much wonderful love and support was brought to that walk.

In 2018, the Martha Olson-Fernandez Foundation was nominated to be the recipient of the Community Champion Award. This award was presented to Larry Fernandez at the SLO Walk to Defeat ALS on April 21, 2018. Over the years, MOFF has contributed over 125,000.00 to The ALS Association. MOFF is proud to continue to support ALS families on the Central Coast and appreciates the ALSA care managers for allowing us to do so.

ALS Fundraising Events, Hike x Brunch

5th Annual MOFF Hike x Brunch and 1st Annual ALS Panel Discussion

Posted on by Brian Anderson
22
Jan

Thank you to all of the 5th Annual MOFF Hike x Brunch participants!

 

Thank you to everyone who came out to hike Felsman Loop in San Luis Obispo on Saturday, February 23rd. We all placed roses on Martha’s memorial bench and enjoyed a gorgeous view in great company. At the top of the hike, we read a poem that depicted ALS patients’ incredibly difficult journey with the disease. The poem was followed by quotes that embody the resilience of ALS patients. Martha was a beautiful example of that strength and bravery in action.

The ALS panel discussion during the brunch portion of the event was very well received. The panel answered the following questions:

       What causes ALS?

       Is there a high incidence of ALS on the Central Coast?

       What happened to the $115M raised during the Ice Bucket Challenge?

       What treatments are currently available to patients?

       Where are your MOFF donations going in 2019?

        Research Highlights: ASOs & STMN2 target for sporadic ALS

 

Our panelists were Natalie Fernandez from MOFF, Cherryl Goldstein, Stacy Inman and Janelle Webb from the ALS Association. Thank you very much to the ALS Association Golden West Chapter for participating in our first annual ALS Panel Discussion! We had a great time taking questions from donors regarding if ALS is one disease and also what future CRISPR technology has in the ALS research world.  In order to align with the interdisciplinary approach to fighting ALS, we look forward to inviting an array of panelists to future hike x brunch events.

 

If you have any follow-up questions, please email the MOF Foundation at giving@moffoundation.com.

 

Would you like to make a donation to the MOFF Organization?

Click on the donate button below. No amount is too small or too big! Please note that a 2.3% PayPal processing fee will be added to all credit card transactions.

 

Join the fight with us!

Please make checks available to The Martha Olson-Fernandez Foundation or MOFF and mail to the Broad Street address below.

The Martha Olson-Fernandez Foundation is a tax-exempt, 501 (c)(3) organization. Tax ID: 45-4983912

ALS Fundraising Events, Annual MOFF Golf Tournaments

The 6th Annual MOFF Golf Tournament

Posted on by Brian Anderson
06
Oct

The 6th Annual Martha Olson-Fernandez Foundation raised an impressive $121,000!!!

Cypress Ridge Golf Course claims it was their highest earning golf tournament yet! Thank you to all our sponsors, golfers, and volunteers that made this fundraising amount possible. Not only did we have a record amount of sponsors, but the tournament was completely full! The community support was truly incredible.

 

The winners of the tournament were:

1st Place: Anthony Aurignac, Nico Aurignac, Thomas Orradre, Mitchell Martin

2nd Place: Manny Silva, Paul D’Ambra, Brandon Hill, Oliver Petri

3rd Place: Joe Garcia, Terry Garcia, Mike Monroe, Eddie Garcia

Hacker’s Prize Winners: Bridget and Paul Ready, Jim and Margaret Neville

Closest to the pin (women): Tess Boehm

Closest to the pin (men): Ricky Sartain

Longest drive (women): Terri Garcia

Longest drive (men): Mark Foos

Fiesta Dinner Winner: Ed Attala! We cannot wait to celebrate with you, Ed! 🙂

Congratulations everyone!

A special thanks goes out to our top sponsors:

Dave and Roberta (Rob) Fernandez, The Chao Family, Murray Street LLC


Shout out to our first ever Heckle Hole Hecklers! You guys were obnoxious and distracting. It was glorious.

ALS Fundraising Events

ALS Pepper Challenge

Posted on by Brian Anderson
31
Jan

MOFF takes on the Hot Pepper Challenge

In 2018 the ALS Hot Pepper Challenge went viral. At MOFF we were very excited to participate in the Hot Pepper Challenge during our 4th Annual Hike x Brunch event. We ate jalapeños, seranos, and even habañeros in order to raise ALS awareness in our community. Thank you very much to the Voloagri Group Inc. for providing the peppers. They were HOT.

The Martha Olson-Fernandez Foundation donates to ALS Therapy Development Institute and The ALS Association Golden West Chapter annually. We are a 501 (c)(3) certified non profit foundation. Tax ID # 45-4983912