NALC to Deliver the Cure for MDA on #GivingTuesday

Since 1952, the National Association of Letter Carriers, the nationwide union of US postal delivery workers, has supported MDA as its charity of choice — and raised more than $100 million through local fundraisers that have showcased workers’ creativity and dedication to MDA’s mission of transforming the lives of people living with neuromuscular disease through innovations in science and care.

NALC’s innovative fundraising began in 1953. During Thanksgiving week that year, letter carriers in more than 800 US cities returned to the homes on their delivery routes to raise funds for MDA. That Letter Carrier March for Muscular Dystrophy, as it came to be known, brought in a staggering $4 million. And since then, NALC branches across the country have volunteered their time to host local fundraisers — bowl-a-thons, golf events, raffles, pancake feeds, backyard carnivals, and more — in the spirit of that first march for MDA.

This Thanksgiving, as we recognize #GivingTuesday and its power to harness support for MDA’s life-saving mission, the NALC is behind MDA again.

NALC members, and those they serve in their communities, have been asked to submit donations this season via text in a campaign dubbed Deliver the Cure, timed for #GivingTuesday, a charitable giving day that falls the Tuesday after Black Friday. Where Black Friday sees people investing in retail purchases, #GivingTuesday encourages people to invest in work that can impact people around the world and right in their own neighborhoods.

“We’re making a difference in the lives of so many families across America,” says Fred Rolando, president of NALC. “No matter what it takes, letter carriers get the job done delivering mail in every city, suburb, and town in America. It’s that loyalty and dedication that’s made NALC the great organization it is today. MDA reflects those same qualities in their pursuit of providing care, support, treatments, and cures for muscular dystrophy, ALS, and related life-threatening diseases. For decades, the men and women of the National Association of Letter Carriers have been proud to support MDA. … We’re working hard to deliver the cure for these families.”

NALC members at an MDA Summer Camp in 2017

Every dollar NALC raises goes to support research making meaningful strides in treating neuromuscular disease, plus best-in-class, comprehensive multidisciplinary care in designated MDA Care Centers at more than 150 top hospitals in the country. Funds help make MDA Summer Camp experiences possible, too, giving kids living with neuromuscular disease the opportunity to build confidence and gain life skills and independence in barrier-free settings close to their homes, all at no cost to their families.

“NALC has been with MDA since 1952, and MDA has been around since 1950, so they really were the first national sponsor with us,” says Adam Cotumaccio, MDA executive vice president and chief Impact and Philanthropy officer. “As we’ve grown and as we’ve evolved, NALC and its hundreds of thousands of letter carriers have always been with us. They have a special place not only in our hearts but in our history.

“Our values are totally aligned,” Adam says. “They are the embodiment of a local community, and here we are, creating significant impact in their communities. It’s absolutely community-centric. And we’re really respectful and proud and happy NALC continues to develop and nurture community-centric relationships.”

From now through #GivingTuesday — and beyond — NALC members and members of their communities can make a one-time or recurring donation to MDA and its life-changing work by texting DeliverTheCure to 41444. Find out more about NALC and its partnership with MDA here.