Oakmont Family Will Host Yard Sale and Concert to Support ALS

Kathy Hindmarsh has always been a collector. She's no hoarder, but it's hard for her to let go of things because of the memories associated with them. 

On Saturday, Aug. 27, Hindmarsh will be letting go of several items—but it's all for a good cause. She will host a benefit yard sale at her Thirteenth Street home in Oakmont for the ALS Association of Western Pennsylvania.

Hindmarsh's nephew from her first marriage, Mike Braden, was diagnosed with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis—also known as ALS or Lou Gehrig's disease—in 2010. A former Oakmont and Fox Chapel resident, Braden, 49, currently lives in Tennessee with his wife and children.

ALS is a disease of the nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord that control voluntary muscle movement. Nerve cells progressively waste away or die and no longer can send messages to muscles. There is no known cure for the disease.

Hindmarsh reconnected with Braden years ago. When he told her he had been diagnosed with ALS, she wanted to help.

"He's brought so much to our lives, so we thought we'd do this for him," she said. "We started a Pittsburgh chapter of Mike's Angels for the ALS walk. When the kids moved out, they left their junk behind and people have been donating items.

"My basement looks like a gift shop."

Hindmarsh has been traveling to Tennessee to visit Braden since his diagnosis. His condition progressively is getting worse, but his attitude remains positive.

"It's beautiful and inspiring," she said.

Hindmarsh's daughter, Elise Massa, also is working on a fundraiser of her own. She and musician Brad Yoder will headline "When the Night is Gone," a benefit concert and art show on Sept. 1 at Catalyst Faith Community in Pittsburgh.

"I haven't played anywhere recently, but when you're given a gift, you learn to love it more if you do it for others instead of yourself," Massa, a musician, said. "The day my music stops meaning something to people, I'm going to stop."

Massa, an Oakmont native and Riverview High School graduate, currently lives in the South Side. She pulled her artistic friends together to contribute to the event.

"We're all trying to use what we've been given to help," she said. "My mom has a lot of stuff at her house, so she's holding a yard sale. I write songs, so I'm hosting a concert."

Hindmarsh and her family will donate proceeds from the yard sale to the ALS Association. Leftover items will be donated to the Red, White & Blue Thrift Store. The family also will participate in the Walk to Defeat ALS on Sept. 10 at the Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium.

"I'm really excited," Hindmarsh said. "It's so easy to put things up for sale when you know the money is going toward a good cause."

Event information:

Yard sale—The multi-family yard sale to benefit the ALS Association will be held Aug. 27 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at 656 Thirteenth St. in Oakmont.

Concert—"When the Night is Gone" will be from 6:30 to 9 p.m. on Sept. 1 at Catalyst Faith Community, 174 42nd St. in Pittsburgh. The cost is $5 and local artwork and CDs will be available for purchase. CLICK HERE to make an online donation.

Walk—The Walk to Defeat ALS will be held on Sept. 10 at the Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium. Registration begins at 7:30 a.m. and the walk begins at 9 a.m. For more information, see www.webwpawv.alsa.org.