English
Spanish
Portuguese
Arabic
Haitian Creole
Chinese (Traditional)
In honor of the 13th Annual ALS & MS Walk for Living, which was held virtually on October 17 to benefit the residents of the Leonard Florence Center for Living, the Malden Catholic High School (MC) held a three-mile walk on Wednesday, November 17 at 2:30 p.m. To honor those in the community who have suffered from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), more than 300 MC students, parents, faculty, staff and friends attended the walk – around the track 12 times – and raised more than $13,000.
The walk honored Timothy Paquette (MC ’07), who passed away from ALS on June 27, and was the son of Rick & Elizabeth Paquette; Chris Snow, a Melrose native who was diagnosed with ALS in 2019; and Brother Joe Comber, a community member and caregiver to Brother Tim Hoey, who was MC’s Social Studies Department chairperson and beloved teacher who passed away from ALS on April 24. Brother Tim Hoey was a resident of the Leonard Florence Center for Living. Speakers include Brother Hoey’s mother, Elizabeth Paquette; Mayor Gary Christenson and Walk for Living Director Maura Graham.
“Tim lost his battle with ALS this June, and he left his wife Chelsea and beautiful baby boy, Declan. I felt devastated and overwhelmed but having the MC Lancers come out today, providing a circle of love and care for those in the community who are suffering, meant a tremendous amount to me and my family,” said Paquette.
The Leonard Florence Center for Living enables its residents, many of whom are completely immobilized, to control lights, turn on the TV, call for the elevator, open doors and raise window shades, all with help of a computer and sensor that tracks head and eye movements for instruction. This technology enables them to move independently through the entire residence, vastly improving their quality of life. Every single dollar raised from this Walk goes directly back to patient care and programs for the ALS and MS residents. The Center cares for more individuals living with ALS than any place else in the world.
“Malden Catholic has partnered with the Leonard Florence Center for the past eight years and we are delighted to join together as a community to provide an improved quality of life for those who suffer from ALS and MS,” said MC Headmaster John Thornburg.
