ALS Alert Newsletter | April

A Winter White Delight in the Angel Ball

Three angel "muses" met each guest with a Mardi Gras necklace of white pearls – a Debbie Albin favorite.

Photography by Phillip Colwart

In 2004, after Debbie Albin’s ALS symptoms began, the disease had one positive effect, says her brother, Chet Harrell. Her already-loving, lively nature became even more defined, as much as the ALS would allow. She planted a lush, tranquil garden where she lived in Ponchatoula, LA, and invited friends and family to enjoy it. “But she also planted seeds of vitality and life in those she loved,” says Harrell, “including me.”

When his sister died in 2008, Harrell was moved to help patients with ALS, through compassionate support and information. But he also wanted to push ALS research forward, and with that in mind, he set up a nonprofit that would have delighted his sister. Debbie’s Garden, The Debbie Harrell Albin Resource for ALS, though relatively new, is marked by kindness and creativity.

Harrell started simple, he says, with “a viral donation pledge program. I reached out to everyone in my address book and asked them to donate at our web site.” A successful high-end event-planner for a New York city nonprofit when he started the Garden , Harrell had an address book with legs. What he earned let him set up his web site and organize a first major fundraiser, The Angel Ball.

Held this January, the gala contributed more than $15,000 to Packard’s search for a cure. “We love the focus of their research,” says Harrell, “especially the whole stem cell work.”

Billed as “a Winter White Mardi Gras Celebration,” the Angel Ball’s theme mirrors his sister’s nature, says Harrell, who’s since moved home to Louisiana. But the gala also brought the feel of Mardi Gras to the north of New Orleans, where they don’t celebrate as much with the huge parades and parties. “And my sister,” he adds, “was always a laissez les bon temps roulez (let the good times roll) sort of person.”

From the photos, there’s no doubt everyone had a heavenly time.