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“God works in mysterious ways.” These words, spoken with quiet conviction by Ray Manzoni, broker-owner of Manzoni Real Estate on Long Island, N.Y., encapsulate his 28-year journey with ALS Ride For Life. It’s a mission born out of friendship, compassion and an unwavering belief in the power of community.
When Manzoni decided to help a friend, he couldn’t have imagined the impact he would have on hundreds of ALS patients and their families.
“We were walking out of church, and he told me he had been diagnosed with ALS,” recalls Manzoni about his conversation with Chris Pendergast. “[Chris] said he was probably going to die in two or three years.”
Manzoni and other neighbors rallied behind Pendergast and helped renovate his garage into a wheelchair-accessible living space. But over time, Pendergast realized that the disease was progressing more slowly than he thought. And Manzoni saw that Pendergast refused to allow his illness to silence his voice or slow his purpose—and instead wanted to turn his diagnosis into a platform for change.
Manzoni and Pendergast and a core team planned a motorized wheelchair ride from Yankee Stadium to Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., to raise awareness of ALS, a progressive neurodegenerative disease commonly known as Lou Gehrig’s disease because it claimed the life of the legendary Yankee in 1941 at age 37.
The ride took 15 days, generated news coverage and “along the way, people were cheering and reaching into their pockets to donate money,” Manzoni says. This initiative led to the founding of ALS Ride For Life, a nonprofit that raises funds to improve patient quality of life.
After that first Ride For Life, Manzoni and Pendergast spent the next two decades educating people about the disease, advocating for patients and raising money.
Pendergast passed away in 2020. ALS Ride For Life might have dissolved. It was the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. Fundraising became very difficult. But Manzoni knew there were more patients and families who needed support. “I said to our board, ‘I didn’t die, and ALS didn’t go away. If anyone will keep this going and help it grow, it will be me.’”
Manzoni took over as president and chair of the organization, and soon its annual fundraising doubled, reaching $1 million in 2024 alone.
“I am most proud to be able to help others. It’s great to help a sale, but working with patients and their families is very fulfilling.”
—Ray Manzoni
In total, ALS Ride For Life has helped raise $14 million to fund research and patient services such as respite care, legal assistance, home renovations and a mobility program that gives ALS families use of wheelchair-accessible vans.
“Ray has always been dedicated to listening to families facing ALS challenges, driving the organization’s patient services programs,” says Marilyn Sloan, executive director of ALS Ride For Life.
Ongoing Impact on Patients
Paul Weisman, who was diagnosed with ALS in 2013, found a community within the charitable group. “ALS is quite the roller coaster,” Weisman says. “The most important thing that Ray and ALS Ride For Life have given me is stability.”
“For me personally, Ray has been phenomenal. He’s been with me every step of the way from my diagnosis,” Weisman says. “I went through hell week recently trying to get more caregiver hours. Ray got involved and got a lawyer involved. He is like a bulldog on a bone. Now we have 12-hour-a-day coverage.”
Weisman, now a board member at ALS Ride For Life, has spoken with members of Congress. Plus, he regularly educates students at local schools. “We talk mostly about overcoming obstacles, which everyone has,” Weisman says. “I love speaking to elementary school kids. The world hasn’t really gotten to them yet. It’s given me a new purpose in life.”
“[Ray] goes so out of his way to help ALS patients [so often] that it amazes me that he has time to run his own business.” —Paul Weisman
Weisman has benefitted from the organization’s mobility program, which gives exclusive use of wheelchair-accessible vans to ALS families on Long Island. Currently, 15 vans valued at approximately $750,000 are in use. “The family registers and insures their van, uses it as long as they need it, and then when that time is done, the van is reconditioned and goes to someone else,” Weisman explains.
To reach patients beyond Long Island, the organization launched a national van rental program, which has provided more than 1,275 days of van use to ALS families. One couple in Illinois uses the program to rent a wheelchair-accessible van for a date night dinner and a movie every Tuesday evening.
A Lifetime of Giving
Manzoni learned the importance of hard work growing up on his family’s farm. “My parents always taught us ‘work hard and give back,’” a motto that sticks with him to this day.
In 1967, when Manzoni was 18, his father started a business focused on real estate and insurance. Ray earned his real estate license and built the real estate company. During his 57 years in real estate, he has assisted over 10,000 home sellers and buyers to achieve their real estate goals.
“To have someone like Ray in my corner is huge.” —Paul Weisman
Manzoni says his efforts as a real estate professional and as a nonprofit leader have become intertwined because both roles call on him to give back. “As [an agent who is a] REALTOR®, I promote my nonprofit work. Working with ALS Ride For Life exposes you to many big-hearted people who recognize your commitment to the cause. If they have a real estate need, they feel very comfortable discussing those needs with you.”
A Mission Fueled by Friendship
For Manzoni, continuing Pendergast’s legacy is not just a cause—it’s personal. Pendergast, who lived with ALS for 28 years, never gave up, and Manzoni finds that inspiring.
In turn, Weisman says Manzoni’s generosity motivates him too: “It is so cool to know that someone is fighting for me. Him helping me inspires me to want to do more to help others.”
Indeed, ALS Ride For Life continues to be a beacon of hope on wheels—powered by compassion, driven by purpose, and steered by people like Manzoni who refuse to stop until a cure is found.
REALTOR® Ray Manzoni of Manzoni Real Estate in Mt. Sinai, New York, is the president and chair of ALS Ride For Life.
