OKLAHOMA CITY, December 15, 2005—On Wednesday, December 21, the Bachelor's Club of Oklahoma City will hold its 60th annual Christmas Ball. All charitable proceeds from the black-tie event, which will take place at 8:00 p.m. at the Oklahoma City Golf and Country Club, will benefit the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation.

"The Bachelor’s Club has been a wonderful friend to OMRF through the years," said OMRF director of development Meredith Miers. “Their generosity has helped many research programs, and we are deeply grateful for their support.”

The proceeds from this year’s Christmas Ball will go to support research on ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis), also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease because it claimed the life of the legendary New York Yankee. The disease is a progressive degenerative condition of the spinal cord, robbing victims of muscle movement until they are paralyzed. Most people stricken with ALS die within three years.

Bachelor’s Club president Chris Wilson chose this particular cause because he lost his uncle to the deadly neurological disease. “If we can help find a way to treat ALS, it would be a huge step forward,” he said. Currently, there is no known treatment or cure for ALS, which is estimated to affect up to 30,000 Americans.

Led by Dr. Kenneth Hensley, OMRF scientists are working to understand how the disease attacks the nervous system. They are also conducting preclinical testing of substances have showed promise in halting the disease in lab animals.

“Groups like the Bachelor’s Club give our scientists the tools to explore promising, new research avenues,” said OMRF’s Miers. “Their support is priceless.”

Chartered in 1946, OMRF (www.OMRF.org) is a nonprofit biomedical research institute dedicated to understanding and curing human disease. Its scientists focus on such critical research areas as brain disease, cancer, lupus and cardiovascular disease.

The Bachelor's Club of Oklahoma City was founded in 1938 to promote social and philanthropic undertakings and to provide leadership in the Oklahoma City community. Through its annual Christmas Ball, the Bachelor's Club has raised more than $200,000 for local charities in recent years.

Tickets to this year’s Ball are still available. For more information, go to www.BachelorsClub.org.