About Our Chapter

The St. Louis Regional Chapter was founded in 1984 to serve the needs of those living with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis and their caregivers.

The ALS Association is the only national not-for-profit health organization dedicated solely to the fight against ALS. ALSA covers all the bases — research, patient and community services, public education, and advocacy — in providing help and hope to those facing the disease.

The ALS Association (National Office and the St. Louis Regional Chapter) operates under a shared mission: to help people living with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis and to leave no stone unturned in search for the cure.

We work together to accomplish our mission. The St. Louis Regional Chapter focuses primarily on helping local patients and families live with ALS while the National Office focuses primarily on research and advocacy. The Chapter supports the National Office through revenue sharing and research contributions. The National Office supports the Chapters by providing up-to-date information and materials.

Our accomplishments are made possible by the generosity of others. From the smallest donation to the largest gift, donors touch the ALS community with hope for the future.

View our 2011 Annual Report

View our 2010 Annual Report

Click here to view the 2010 990

Click here to view the 2009 990

Click here to view the 2008 990

History of The ALS Association St. Louis Regional Chapter

The ALS Association, St. Louis Regional Chapter had its beginnings in December 1983. That year, a local businessperson, Ronald Flowers was diagnosed with ALS. When neither he nor his business partner, R. Scott Davis was able to locate adequate information regarding the disease. A business trip to New York resulted in a list of over 200 area individuals who had contacted the NY office for information.

Individuals o­n the list were contacted for interest in organizing a support group. Twenty people responded. Following an organizational meeting, the first support group meeting was held in April 1984. More than 50 individuals attended and The ALS Association, St. Louis Regional Chapter was formed. Initial programs consisted of monthly support group meetings, a resource book for ALS families, and a bi-monthly newsletter. During the first year several successful fund-raisers were conducted to support local programs and fund ALS research. In August 1987, the Association affiliated with and became a chapter of the ALSA national organization.

In 1992, The ALS Association, St. Louis Regional Chapter was accepted as a member of the Combined Health Appeal (CHA) of Greater St. Louis -- a coalition of voluntary health agencies. Fiscally, CHA operated with a partnership with the United Way of Greater St. Louis. This partnership enabled CHA to financially support the 15 different health agencies.

In 1998, the national CHA organization was merged with NVHA (National Voluntary Health Agencies) to create a new agency - Community Health Charities. In St. Louis, CHA member agencies voted not to join the Community Health Charities but to become members of the United Way of Greater St. Louis. The membership was effective January 1, 1999. The United Way unites people of diverse backgrounds and interests whom work together to strengthen health and human services in Missouri and Illinois.

The ALS Association St. Louis Regional Chapter was founded to serve ALS patients and their families. The Association continues to focus o­n patient services with an additional emphasis o­n public awareness, community/professional education, advocacy, and research.