Corey was diagnosed with ALS in July 2007 at age 21, but he had shown symptoms for several years prior. After his diagnosis, he returned to Middlebury College and graduated with honors in May of 2008. Corey moved home to Piedmont, CA after his graduation and has been the Assistant Coach for the Piedmont High School Men’s and Women’s Varsity Tennis Teams ever since.
Corey and his family are committed to ALS.net and the ALS Therapy Development Institute. Corey and his mother, Wendy, toured the Institute’s lab at the end of 2007 and since then, the family has been dedicated to fundraising solely for the Institute. His father, Ted, became a board member in April 2009 and his sister, Clare, has worked for the organization on the Development Team since her graduation from Colby College in 2011.
Each year, under the “Corey's Crusade” banner, Corey and his family host a fundraiser at the Claremont Country Club in Oakland, CA. Over the years, their family and friends have hosted or participated in numerous other events in honor of Corey’s Crusade including: a gala in Bronxville, NY; cocktail parties in Vancouver, WA and New York, NY; runs and walks in Boise, ID, Phoenix, AZ, Portland, OR, Big Sur, CA, and New York, NY; a bike ride in Napa, CA; bake sales in Oakland, CA and Austin, TX; and fundraisers at the games of the Boise Hawks and the Oakland A’s. Corey’s Crusade has raised over $5 million for the ALS Therapy Development Institute.
Corey is also involved in other ALS.net fundraising efforts. Corey has been a Young Faces of ALS Ambassador since the campaign’s inception in 2009. The Reich family’s network has helped organize the Young Faces of ALS Corntoss events in San Francisco, New York, Boise, Seattle, Washington D.C., Portland, Austin, Stockton, and Rapid City. Corey has visited MLB ballparks across the country to promote the Young Faces of ALS campaign and spread awareness. He is also a big supporter of the Ales for ALS program and even “helped” brew the Ales for ALS beer at two of his favorite breweries.
From the beginning, Corey has been focused on bringing awareness to ALS.net and its goal of stopping ALS through the development of effective therapies. Corey has shared his story and his commitment to the ALS Therapy Development Institute in newspapers, magazines, radio and TV, including NPR’s Here and Now, in the San Francisco Chronicle and countless other media outlets.
He is also honored to have become part of the organization called The A2A Alliance, whose goal is to share the stories of folks like Corey and organizations like ALS.net. Corey was the recipient of the ALS Therapy Development Institute’s Stephen Heywood Award in 2009 and the A2A Alliance’s (Lori) Hope & Courage Award in 2013.
Corey currently serves as an assistant coach of the Piedmont High School Tennis Team. When not coaching or raising funds for ALS research, Corey enjoys good beer and watching his Oakland Athletics.
