Sam Hilliard of the Atlanta Braves was named a finalist for Phi Delta Theta Fraternity’s Lou Gehrig Memorial Award last night in a special on-field presentation ahead of the Braves' Lou Gehrig Day celebration. As a result of his recognition, a local ALS family was presented with the Live Like Lou Foundation's Lou Gehrig Memorial Scholarship on the field as part of the presentation.
Zoe Champion received a $2,130 scholarship from Live Like Lou in honor of Lou Gehrig's 2,130 consecutive games played. As a surprise on the field, Sam Hilliard and his family's foundation, the Team Hilliard Foundation, surprised Zoe by matching the scholarship and funding an additional $2,130 for her to continue her studies at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. Sam's family was personally impacted by ALS when his father, Jim Hilliard was diagnosed in 2018 and passed away in 2021. The Team Hilliard Foundation supports other ALS organizations through their efforts, and Live Like Lou is proud to have partnered to honor the Champion family with this scholarship.
Zoe's father, Robert, was diagnosed with ALS in 2021. Zoe is Robert's primary caregiver while balancing her studies to become a physical therapist.
We were joined at the game by a number of Live Like Lou and Phi Delta Theta friends and fans, and despite the two-hour rain delay, it was a wonderful celebration of the ALS community. Thank you to the Braves for supporting this opportunity to generate awareness for Lou Gehrig's disease and all those impacted by ALS.
