Seaford rallies for a cure

Seaford Middle School staff, parents and students marched through the streets of their town to the middle school in an event known as the “Montauk to Manhattan” Ride for Life.

Former Northport teacher Chris Pendergast led ALS patients and supporters as they waved posters and cheered to spread awareness and rally for a cure.

ALS or Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord. Ride for Life is an annual event in which ALS patients ride their power wheelchairs along with supporters through communities to raise funds for a cure and create awareness for the disease.

Members of the middle school’s junior honor society presented Pendergast with a check for $300 to go towards the cause.

Seaford Middle School Principal, Dan Smith, described the event as heartwarming for it showed how caring the Seaford community could be.

“It was quite an event,” he said, “To see our Seaford family rally together for this important cause and to work towards making a difference in the lives of the people who are stricken by this horrible disease.”