Sheldon Cleaves

Sheldon Cleaves’ involvement with ALS started 28 years ago, in 1997 when his mother (by adoption) was diagnosed with ALS at the age of 79 and passed away a short time later. A few years later, in 2001, after moving with his family from Connecticut to Vancouver Island, Sheldon was once again touched by the struggles and frustration of ALS. Andre Denomme, a neighbour and the husband of one of his wife’s best friends was diagnosed and thus began his long seven-year journey.

Sheldon had the great fortune of growing up as a competitive figure skater in an Olympic Village (Lake Placid, NY), where, for the most part, he was insulated from illness. The main focus was on training, which led to a professional career with Feld Entertainment (Disney On Ice) as one of the headliners for ten years. That portion of Sheldon’s career opened his eyes to primarily child illnesses, as he would visit countless hospitals. The perspective gained from those visits introduced Sheldon not only to the individual’s frustration with the illness but also to the resolve of the families through the toughest of times.

That perspective and 33 years of Business Management in the Sports/Entertainment and Recreational Vehicle industry gave Sheldon the insight and vision to navigate ALS, first with his mother and later with Andre and the community. Wanting to find a way to be proactive in the ALS fight, Sheldon, as the Service Manager/Operations Manager for Greg’s RV/Traveland RV in Duncan, BC, knew he could communicate with a wide base. Sheldon joined the North Island Chapter of ALS BC on Vancouver Island.

Twenty years later, Sheldon is honoured and humbled to represent the ALS Society of BC as Past President, current board member, and Treasurer. Over the past four years, we survived a pandemic and brought the dream of ALS BC PROJECT HOPE to fruition with the Society’s collaboration with UBC, built a state-of-the-art Equipment Loan Program, and continues to support patients and caregivers. ALS BC is stronger than ever. The goal remains, as always, to heighten awareness, provide support, and fund research so that the fight can be won one day. For today, the fight goes on!