Families, caregivers and supporters of people living with ALS will gather at Miller Park Amphitheater in Fontana on Sunday, Oct. 18, for a fundraising walk that pairs a wheelchair-accessible route with a resource fair, live entertainment and a festival zone built for all ages. Check-in opens at 9:30 a.m., with the walk itself kicking off around 11 a.m.
The event, now in its third decade, has gone by different names over the years. It was formerly known as the Inland Empire Walk to Defeat ALS before being rebranded, according to alsnetwork.org. The supplied event records disagree on exactly which anniversary this year's walk marks — the official ALS Network event listing calls it the 25th annual Inland Empire Walk & Roll to Cure ALS, while the Inland Valley Daily Bulletin identifies it as the 24th annual event.
Online registration remains free through noon Pacific time on Saturday, Oct. 17, the day before the walk, per the event's official registration page on secure.alsnetwork.org. Anyone who waits until event day can still sign up on-site, though it will cost $20 at that point.
What to Expect at Miller Park
The walk will both start and finish at the festival zone set up at the Miller Park Amphitheater, according to the registration page. Organizers describe the event as family-friendly and fully accessible, featuring a wheelchair-accessible route, an ALS resource fair, entertainment, food, prizes and giveaways, alongside a festival zone stocked with activities for all ages.
Maxim Healthcare Services Inc. is listed among the event's supporters on the registration site. The ALS Network says all funds raised go toward its broader mission: driving discovery of prevention strategies, treatments and cures for ALS, expanding access to quality care and connection, and promoting initiatives that improve health outcomes for people living with the disease.
A Disease With No Known Cure
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as Lou Gehrig's disease, is a fatal neurodegenerative illness that attacks nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord, according to the Press Enterprise. The disease currently has no known cure and only modestly effective treatments, which is part of why events like this one continue to draw families and volunteers back to Miller Park year after year.
Fundraising goals for the walk have shifted from year to year. The 2024 event, covered by IE Voice, set a goal of $75,000, while the 2025 walk — held Oct. 19 at the same Fontana amphitheater — listed a lower target of $65,000, per the Press Enterprise's report at the time. A snippet from this year's event page similarly references a $75,000 goal, though that figure carries lower confidence than the other details confirmed directly on the registration site.
Building on Years of Inland Empire Turnout
The Fontana gathering has become a fixture for the region's ALS community, with the 2025 edition featuring the same wheelchair-accessible route and family-oriented festival programming that organizers are bringing back this year, the Press Enterprise reported. That continuity reflects the event's broader reach — the ALS Network serves people with ALS and their families throughout California and Hawaii, making the Inland Empire gathering one stop in a larger statewide effort to fund research and support services.
Those unable to attend in person can still contribute to the cause. The ALS Network accepts donations through its dedicated fundraising site for the Inland Empire walk, with proceeds funneled back into the organization's research, care and advocacy work.
