A walk for ALS at a Langley school Friday honoured a longtime teacher.
Students at Langley Christian Middle and High School donned purple shirts and hit the pavement Friday for the second-annual walk.
“The purpose is building community, and celebrating Dave,” said leadership teacher Jon Mayan.
Dave Alexander taught for decades at the school and built up its music program, teaching thousands of students over the years.
He was diagnosed two years ago with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, a progressive disease that attacks the nervous system and is, in most cases, fatal within a few years.
Alexander was at Friday’s event, singing with a band on stage before severals students and former students spoke about how he had impacted their lives.
The walk involves more than 550 students from both the middle and high schools at Langley Christian.
“We’ve raised already over $6,600,” said Mayan.
Student Jeremiah Macadam said the leadership classes this year wanted to expand the walk. They reached out to local businesses and the community for support.
Funding raised will go towards patient support and treatment, and research into a cure for ALS.
