The Greater Los Angeles Chapter of the ALS Association, with headquarters in Agoura Hills, has been selected by the American Express Foundation as a recipient of a Global Volunteer Action Fund (GVAF) award. Awards are presented annually to eligible nonprofit organizations at which American Express employees and teams of employees volunteer their time in community.

This chapter provides free services for persons with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), their families, caregivers and healthcare professionals in Los Angeles, Ventura, Kern and San Bernardino counties. The GVAF award will be used by the chapter to continue to provide their free services for persons with ALS, more commonly known as Lou Gehrig’s diseaseALS is a progressive, fatal neuromuscular disease affecting adults. It causes paralysis of the muscles of movement, while leaving the mind intact. There is no known cause and no cure. Medical advances are being made through research supported by the ALS Association.

Free services include educational symposia, monthly support groups, case managementin-home visits, a loan pool of durable medical equipment and a loan pool of augmentative communication devices. For more information, please call Gretchen Lightfoot at (818) 865-8067, ext. 232 or visit www.alsala.org. The chapter’s office is at 28720 Roadside Drive, Ste. 200, Agoura Hills.