The 2022 ALS Ice Bucket Challenge took place Sunday at Empire City Casino by MGM Resorts trackside at the historic Yonkers Raceway.
Local and state elected officials attended the annual event which included U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand; state Senator Shelley Mayer; assemblymembers Gary Pretlow and Nader Sayegh; Yonkers Mayor Mike Spano; Westchester County Board of Legislators José Alvarado and James Nolan; and Yonkers city councilmembers Tasha Diaz, Mike Breen and John Rubbo. They joined Empire City executives, friends and family of late Yonkers native and ALS Ice Bucket Challenge co-founder Pat Quinn, including his father Patrick Quinn Sr., current ALS patients and their family, and hundreds of members of the community who are focused on continuing Pat Quinn’s mission to raise awareness of ALS and the need for research funding to find a cure.
“Empire City Casino is so honored to host the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge year after year to be part of the continuing legacy of ALS champion Pat Quinn in generating more awareness of this debilitating disease and the importance for research funding,” said Ed Domingo, Empire City Casino by MGM Resorts senior vice president and general manager. “This is an incredible community that we are proud to be a part of and continue to support in hopes of one day finding a cure.”
The annual event, co-founded by Pat Quinn after his diagnosis of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) in 2013, became a global phenomenon in 2014 as thousands of people from around the world participated in the challenge on social media. This year at Empire City in partnership with the city of Yonkers, more than 350 people doused themselves with 5-gallon buckets filled with ice and water.
“Every year, our city continues to amaze me as I witness the incredible show of love in memory of our fearless leader, Pat Quinn, and countless others who have suffered from this debilitating disease,” said Spano. “The City of Yonkers will continue to support the Ice Bucket Challenge and promote the need for more research to end ALS – we are in this every August with our event partner Empire City Casino until a cure.”
Though Pat Quinn passed away from ALS in November 2020, his drive and determination to find a cure continues through his family, community and beyond. Leading the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge this year was Quinn’s father, Patrick Quinn Sr., who paid tribute to his son, and reiterated his determination to continue his son’s mission to provide support for ALS patients and their families, and to hold the ice bucket challenge every year to ensure the need for a cure remains top of mind. Pat Quinn continues to inspire millions in donations for ALS research, which has helped lead to significant breakthroughs in recent years, including an experimental therapy involving the drug Albrioza, which has been approved in Canada and could potentially provide a new treatment option for the disease.
“Not only am I so grateful for the continued support of Empire City Casino, Mayor Mike Spano, and our community, but the annual challenge for me serves as a beautiful tribute to my son’s lasting legacy and everything he did to help move the needle in finding a cure for ALS,” said Patrick Quinn, Sr. “The community that Pat has been able to build to raise awareness for ALS research and his Quinn for the Win — Find Your Smile Foundation is nothing short of remarkable and we will finish his mission to find a cure.”
Since 2015, Empire City has hosted the annual challenge in support of Pat Quinn and ALS patients across the globe to continue to generate awareness of the debilitating disease and the need for research funding (except for 2020, which was not held due to the pandemic). Each year, Empire City donates the space, set-up and staffing costs, as well as more than 1,300 pounds of ice. The city of Yonkers donates the buckets and the stage for the event, and hosts online registration on their website.
For more information, please visit YonkersNY.gov, Quinn4theWin and Facebook.com/QuinnForTheWin.
