Thousands of brave American families have banded together under one specific cause affecting countless loved ones. The ailment in question is ALS, otherwise known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease. For decades this devastating disease has stripped rather capable people of their livelihood and potential but because of strong families, friends and a fantastic organization, these brave men and women are being given a fighting chance at gearing up to fight together. LocalBozo.com headed to the ’2012 Walk to Defeat ALS’ to lend our support and learn more about this worthy cause by joining up for the walk.

Even though the weather wasn’t in our favor, the energy was way up. Hundreds of families and supporters gathered in the early morning hours hours to sign in, grab some breakfast, and take several group photos. The gray sky filled with plenty of ominous clouds overhead did little to sullen the attitude for all in attendance. It was a humbling experience to see all of the groups representing those stricken by this horrible disease. From matching t-shirts all the way to florescent Sombreros, these teams where decked out to the nines in order to begin the walk.

Prior to the start, several board members of the ALS Association Greater New York would take to the microphone to address the capacity crowd. One such speaker, most of you know by voice only. It was Q104.3′s legendary DJ, Ken Dashow, a long time supporter of the organization, advocating on behalf of the association wherever he goes. And because of his well known voice, he proved to be the perfect person to pump everyone up, in spite of the unpleasant weather. NY1 reporter Errol Louis made his first appearance at Saturday’s walk taking some time out to praise the attendees and the city of New York as the host city.

As the start of the event drew near, teams banded together dancing and hoisting up banners representing the person they were walking for. It also didn’t hurt to find out this was the biggest ‘Walk to Defeat ALS’ that New York City has ever held. In the mist of this enthusiasm, Dashow took back to the microphone announcing that it was time to finally line up, cut the ribbon, and get this walk underway! Saturday’s walk was a three mile trip up the west side, providing views of the Hudson River and many piers along the way. Once the massive crowd lined up, the sheer mass of people quickly became evident. And like any good DJ, Ken Dashow kicked off the start by telling everyone to ‘Walk this Way’ as the Aerosmith classic blared in the background. This was truly a morning where the human spirit for giving was on display wherever you looked and it was simply our pleasure to be part of it.

- Jay Rubin