WINGED WARRIOR 2011

ST. LOUIS, November 1, 2011 The Robert A. Stehlin Campaign for ALS (RASCALS) presented its annual Winged Warrior Award at a recent major fundraising event. According to founder and president, Robert Stehlin, the award was created to recognize those who have soared above and beyond the call of duty on behalf of the Foundation, and all patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

The RASCALS Board of Directors recommended a pair of honorees this year, whose acknowledgements hit very close to home for Mr. Stehlin, who was diagnosed with the challenging disease in the fall of 2009.

Diana Stehlin, Mr. Stehlin`s eldest daughter, was heralded for her remarkable commitment to RASCALS since its inception two years ago. In 2010, Ms. Stehlin took the lead and secured 75% of the donations and prizes for the highly successful Trivia Night fundraiser, the foundation`s signature event.She also helped to recruit three-quarters of the large volunteer staff needed to support the event, which some believe is the largest of its kind in the Midwest. Not to rest on her laurels, Ms. Stehlin went out and repeated the Herculean performance for this year`s Trivia Night held last month.

Miss Diana Stehlin

Volunteer Coordinator Diana Stehlin receiving the Winged Warrior Award at the 2nd Annual Trivia Night

“My daughter`s efforts have been instrumental in helping RASCALS to reach our goals and continue our mission”, said Mr. Stehlin. “We wouldn`t be where we are at right now without her.I know people hear that phrase a lot, but it is absolutely true in this case. Diana is a selfless, hardworking,and obviously talented young woman who has consistently been there for us, and for me personally. She makes me enormously proud.”

The second presentation of the evening was the first ever Junior Winged Warrior Award, bestowed upon Mr. Stehlin`s eldest son, Robert A. Stehlin II, better known to family and friends as Bobby. The twelve-year old had been known to pound the neighborhood pavement selling RASCALS merchandise to help raise money for ALS.

Mr. Robert A. Stehllin II

Acting upon his own initiative, Bobby then took his mission to school where he asked if he could bring in flyers to promote the Trivia Night. He also brought RASCALS wristbands and t-shirts to sell to fellow students. His teachers and principal at Seckman Elementary not only approved, but also decided to reward Bobby for his gallant efforts by designating a day to raise money, and Hats On for RASCALS Day was born.Any student wishing to wear a baseball hat in school (normally a no-no) paid a dollar for the privilege. RASCALS` merchandise was sold as well and together raised $524 for the foundation. Principal Christine Simokaitis said, “The best way to teach good character is to model it. This is a great example of showing compassion for others”.

Bobby Stehlin receiving his award from Founder and his father Robert Stehlin

I`m pretty sure that Bobby didn`t fully understand the weight of his actions at the time. Hopefully he will now with this award, said Mr. Stehlin. It was an extraordinary example of one person, very young person determined to make a difference. And he certainly did. I couldn`t be more proud of him.

The true measure of any organization`s success always comes down to the people that make it work. It just happens to be a little more special when family and friends pull together and pull out all the stops to make it happen. Such is the culture here at RASCALS, best exemplified by its newest Winged Warriors.

WINGED WARRIOR 2012

ST. LOUIS, Missouri, January 12, 2013 The Robert A. Stehlin Campaign for ALS (R.A.S.C.A.L.S.) presented their annual Winged Warrior award to Julie Tristan, host for KSDK`s  Show Me St. Louis.

Miss Julie Tristan

The presentation was made at the RASCALS` recent Trivia Night, for which Julie has been the Master of Ceremonies since the inaugural event in 2010. Bob Stehlin, the charity founder and president, said “the spirit shown by the Show Me St. Louis star personifies what the RASCALS is all about.”

STAR POWER: Julie receives her 2012 Winged Warrior award from RASCALS founder Bob Stehlin at the Halloween-themed Trivia Night. Yes, that is a Star Trek uniform she`s wearing. Bob came dressed as a locked-out hockey fan

We are extremely honored to have Julie with us for our big Trivia Night. It`s much more than our signature fundraiser; it`s hundreds of people from the ALS community coming together to show their commitment, Bob says, “That`s why Julie`s energy and positive attitude are so welcome. You have to remain optimistic when you`re fighting something like Lou Gehrig`s disease”.