Les Turner, a Chicago area businessman, beloved husband and father, was diagnosed with ALS in 1976. Frustrated by the lack of information and research on ALS at the time, he and his family and friends started the Foundation in 1977, just a year before Les' tragic death at age 38. The founders wanted ALS patients and families of the future to have the resources, support, and hope for a cure unavailable to Les.

The Les Turner ALS Foundation began with one patient and a dream; today it serves more than 600 patients annually and its membership is comprised of people living with ALS (PALS), their friends and families, healthcare professionals, researchers and corporate leaders. The Foundation is one of the nation's largest independent ALS organizations and has raised more than $33 million to fight Lou Gehrig's disease. The Les Turner ALS Foundation's mission supports:

• Medical research into the cause, treatment and cure of ALS
• Clinical and support services for patients and families living with ALS
• Dissemination of information about the disease.