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On September 24^th, One Click Ventures participated in the Central Indiana Walk to Defeat ALS® benefitting the ALS Association Indiana Chapter. The two-mile walk took place on a blustery fall day at the White River State Park in downtown Indianapolis. The event was the first of three walks held annually around Indiana to help fundraise, spread awareness, and support those adversely affected by the disease.

Family members and furry friends joined One Click in making the event a memorable experience full of team bonding and walking in honor of patients and their families. To stand out from the crowd and make a statement about their fight against ALS, each OCV walker sported a team t-shirt and a pair of mirrored aviator sunglasses from Sunglass Warehouse.

“The event itself was well planned and executed, which lent greatly to the enthusiastic spirit of the participants.  I had no idea what the turn-out would be, and I was so happily surprised to see so many energetic groups that had put in the time to fundraise for the cause.  It really revealed how many people are personally affected by the disease.  It was a heartwarming day, and I’m truly thankful to have been able to get involved in honor of my OCV friend and her family,” says Organic Search member Terryl Banta.

One Click joined the fight after hearing how ALS has impacted many of their own. Many on the team know relatives, friends, and neighbors who have been affected by the disease. OCV Organic Search member, Molly Borter, lost her father to ALS in 2008.

“It was mind blowing to me to see how many of my OCV teammates joined together in the fight against ALS. It just goes to show that the spirit of giving is contagious and proves how important it is for companies to benefit a cause they feel strongly about,” says Molly Borter. “I’m so proud to be a part of this company, and I thank One Click for diving right into a cause that is so close to my heart. Even my family and close friends at the Walk commented on how lucky I am to be a part of a company that supports one another the way we do.”

ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis) is a progressive degeneration of the body’s motor neurons made famous by former Yankees player, Lou Gehrig.  The disease causes patients to lose all control of muscle movement, and the average patient lives only two years post-diagnosis. There is no known cause or cure, and with only 10% of known cases linked through family lineage, ALS can literally strike anyone. Every 90 minutes someone is diagnosed with this debilitating disease, and every 90 minutes another person loses their battle. After seeing these statistics and hearing the testimonials of their teammates, One Click rallied around the cause in full force and pledged to raise $1,000.

“I loved watching the entire team unite around Molly to support such an important cause. I am so proud of our efforts and can’t wait to see what we can do with future events,” says One Click Ventures co-founder and COO, Angie Stocklin. “I am honored and blessed to be part of such an amazing team.”

 

Walk to Defeat ALS® involvement marked the conclusion of a series of One Click events to spread awareness and fundraise for the cause. Aside from working hard to ask family and friends for donations, OCV celebrated “80s Dress Up Day” in early September.  80s tunes blared throughout the office as team members dressed in their best neon and celebrated accordingly with a Pac Man-inspired cookie cake. Team members paid a small fee to participate, and all earnings went towards their team goal.

On September 22^nd, One Click cohosted Charity Pong with Formstack to raise money towards their Walk goals. The charity ping pong tournament and raffle was held at Developer Town in Broad Ripple. Attendees enjoyed an evening of mingling with other companies, munching on Qdoba, and cheering for competing coworkers.

“The Indianapolis marketing and tech community really took me by surprise with their support at the event. It was great to see the same people at networking events come together for the sole benefit of ALS. It showed both Formstack & OCV how great the Indy community is. I think those in attendance would agree the event was a success from the money raised, the prizes won, and, of course, the ping pong excitement created. Hopefully this is just a stepping stone to an even bigger event next year!” says One Click Organic Search member and tournament champion Nate Schrader.

Adding even more to the event’s entertainment, One Click also raffled off a series of theme baskets featuring products from their Affordable Style Network stores. One Click would like to give a special thanks to Noah Coffey and Formstack, Developer Town, and all event participants and sponsors. For a full list of event sponsors, please visit http://www.charitypong.com. All proceeds from the Charity Pong event were donated to the ALS Association Indiana Chapter and the Walk to Defeat ALS® efforts.

The enthusiasm of One Click Ventures towards spreading ALS awareness drove them to exceed their initial team goal by $900 and counting. OCV’s Talent and Culture Manager Terra Kash Hamilton led One Click’s charitable efforts and is beyond pleased with the outcome.

“We are honored to have been able to support such an amazing cause. What stuck out to us about the ALS Association is that not only do they raise money for research, but they also assist those in need who have been affected by ALS,” she says. “It was a humbling experience to see the team come together to achieve such great things. We are beyond thrilled to have surpassed our fundraising goal and to have had so much fun along the way.”

To find out more about ALS and how you can help in your community, please visit http://www.alsa.org/.

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