ComedySportz raises over $3,500 for ALS research
Oak Park High School’s ComedySportz team raised $3,500 in the ALS charity game Friday, April 28.
The ComedySportz team donated the funds to the ALS Association to support the family of a team member, junior Amanda Kristensen.
“My dad had been diagnosed with ALS last year, and [the ALS Association’s] actions have helped not only my family but thousands of others by providing support and care,” Kristensen said.
Amyotrophic laterals sclerosis is a disease that affects the nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord. Also known as “Lou Gehrig’s disease,” ALS causes muscle weakness, paralysis and respiratory failure.
Every year, the ComedySportz team holds a charity game, donating the raised funds to the charity of the team’s choice.
ComedySportz is all about making people happy and making them laugh, so I think it’s a great tradition because this way we get to help people in another kind of way.
— Grace Orriss
“ComedySportz is all about making people happy and making them laugh, so I think it’s a great tradition because this way we get to help people in another kind of way,” senior and ComedySportz manager Grace Orriss said.
Orriss said that the team wanted to help Kristensen’s family in any way possible.
“Everyone on the team saw what our friend was going through, and it personally affected all of us,” Orriss said.
Students who went to the charity game said that it helped them learn more about ALS, and it was for a good cause.
“It was a very fun night, and I feel that many people gained knowledge about ALS and its effects,” junior Serena Yi said.
People came all the way from Texas to support the Kristensen family; junior Sean MacKinnon said that the charity game was a good way to give support and help those with ALS.
“I feel that it was what we could do to show our love and support, because that’s what our team is all about,” MacKinnon said.
It feels amazing to know that other families who have someone diagnosed with ALS will be provided the same individual care and love that my family has been shown by the ALS Association.
— Amanda Kristensen
Kristensen said she’s happy to know that ComedySportz will be helping others through the ALS Association.
According to the ALS Association website, “the ALS Association is the only national non-profit organization fighting ALS on all fronts.” They lead the world in global research to fight ALS, and the $3,500 will go to the Golden West Chapter in Agoura Hills and be used to support research for finding a cure.
“It feels amazing to know that other families who have someone diagnosed with ALS will be provided the same individual care and love that my family has been shown by the ALS Association,” Kristensen said. “It’s so incredibly rewarding and has meant so much to me and my family to help others through their difficult times.”
Orriss said that she was proud that ComedySportz could help through the charity game and help fight ALS.
“Knowing that ComedySportz helped to make a difference is a wonderful thing,” Orriss said.
Your donation will support the student journalists of Oak Park High School - CA. Your contribution will allow us to purchase equipment and cover our annual website hosting costs.
