Comm Ave Charity Classic raises thousands for those living with ALS

Pete Frates gets standing ovation

By Mary Saladna, July 11, 2015

BOSTON —It’s a hockey night in Boston.

“Hockey in July? It’s like Christmas in July,” Boston University fan June Simmons said.

And everyone in the arena was in a giving mood Friday night at the first annual Comm Ave Charity Classic for ALS.

It was Boston College against Boston University. Past players returned, and the rivalry was thriving.

“We’ll put some of it aside for now, and just have some fun tonight. Everyone knows each other. We played against each other. So it’s nice to have that rivalry and competitiveness,” BU graduate Charlie Coyle said.

Pete Frates received a standing ovation for the hundreds of millions of dollars his Ice Bucket Challenge raised for ALS.

While the Ice Bucket Challenge raised money for ALS research, the money raised Friday was going to patients and their families.

Families like Frates’.

“Which is wonderful because we want to expedite a cure,” John Frates, Pete Frates’ father, said. “It’s people like Ron’s group, Compassionate Care ALS, that are doing God’s work behind the scenes.”

Ron Hoffman is the founder of Falmouth-based Compassionate Care ALS, a nonprofit that will use Friday night’s proceeds for families living with ALS to provide everything from emotional support to medical equipment.

“It’s very high-end equipment. Equipment that brings more dignity to their lives and makes their lives more manageable,” Hoffman said.

Ari Garber’s father, David Garber, is a retired dentist from Falmouth and was diagnosed with ALS six years ago.

“CCALS has provided our family with handicap vans, wheelchairs, communication devices. Everything you would be surprised that falls through the gaps of insurance,” Ari Garber said.

More than 3,500 people attended the event Friday night and more than $40,000 was raised.

Boston University beat Boston College 7 – 5.