Community Corner

Rumson Boy Rallies for a Good Cause

Sam Tavill designed and is selling t-shirts to benefit ALS research

Rumson seventh grader Sam Tavill is an artist with a concern for helping good causes thrive.

He also has a Bar Mitzvah coming up, so he decided to do something that would put both his artistic and charity goals to good use while honoring a friend.

Last year, Tavill lost his friend Pam Callahan to ALS, Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, also referred to as Lou Gehrig's disease, which is a fatal, aggressive neurological disease that attacks the nerve cells responsible for controlling voluntary muscles, according to the ALS Therapy Development Institute (ALS TDI) Web site.

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Drawing on his particular interest in graffiti art, Tavill got to work and designed a T-shirt that says KICK ALS in graffiti-style lettering on a purple background. He wanted the shirts to make a bold, rebellious statement, like graffiti, that demonstrates a fighting spirit against the disease.

The shirts are $15 to $20 each, depending on delivery location, and can be purchased via the internet, on the ALS TDI Web site by clicking here.

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According to the site, Tavill has sold $390 worth of t-shirts. His goal is $2,000. Tavill's Bar Mitzvah is June 15.


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