Speaking as a researcher, your time would probably be better spent lobbying Congress and the Senate to increase NIH funding. Philanthropy typically goes to institutions with the best political connections and the best sales pitches. Charity is not without value, but philanthropy does not, and cannot, fuel a productive scientific community. The cure for ALS isn't likely to come from an ALS lab. More likely, a lab working on another problem will likely stumble upon something that can be translated to ALS. I feel that awareness in this context probably does more harm than good. The take home message for most people is probably that ALS research just got a nice shot in the arm. The truth is that the funding that this kind of research depends upon is drying up, and labs continue to close across the country.