Dear ALS Community,
In January 2024, my husband Chris passed away from ALS at the age of 50—five years after his first symptom. He was strong, athletic, a business owner, and a loving dad who coached every team our kids played on. ALS took his voice, his body, and ultimately his life, but it never touched his heart or spirit.
When Chris was diagnosed, our son Brady was only six and our daughter Brooklyn was four. I worried about how watching their father’s illness progress would affect them. But Chris taught our family how to keep showing up—how to laugh even when it’s hard, how to find purpose in the face of pain, and how to remain grounded in faith. His greatest fear wasn’t dying; it was leaving us.
W
e made it our mission to end ALS so no other child has to grow up without a parent. It was our son Brady who came up with the idea to start a raking business to raise money. When I asked where he wanted the money to go, he said: “Let’s find a place that we can donate the money to that will help find a cure for dad.”
We chose the name Clayton Rakes, named after our street, a small nod to where our mission took root. In our first season in 2020, classmates, neighbors, and teammates raised $60,000. Every penny of that, and every dollar since, has gone directly to the ALS Therapy Development Institute (ALS TDI).
We support ALS TDI because they are relentless—the world’s largest drug discovery lab focused solely on ALS. They’re pushing drugs toward clinical trials, discovering biomarkers, investigating the causes of ALS, and delivering real hope. Chris believed in their mission. So do we.
What started as two kids raking leaves for donations has grown into something much bigger. In 2023, we partnered with ALS TDI to launch Rake for ALS, a national program encouraging others to organize service events, like leaf raking or yard work, to raise money for research. It’s an incredible way to engage young people in giving back joyfully and with purpose.
On November 2, Chris’s birthday, we celebrated the second annual National Day of Raking. It’s our way of honoring his legacy, one leaf pile at a time.
My kids lost their dad. I lost my best friend. But we haven’t lost hope.
Please consider making a gift to ALS TDI today. Thanks to an anonymous donor, all donations up to $50K will be matched! Your donation helps us continue the fight for Chris, for everyone living with ALS, and for the families who deserve more time, more answers, and more tomorrows.
With gratitude,
Jen, Brady (12) & Brook (9) Yozwiak
Wife and children of Chris Yozwiak, Founders, Clayton Rakes
