I have always struggled with fundraising. In a group I have a chance because I rely on others, but on my own, well, it is hard. When we lived in Sparks I volunteered for the American Heart Association.
My assignment included going to the five homes on our cul-de-sac, handing out a nicely designed flyer, and then requesting a donation. Procrastination set in as I waited for the courage to go knocking as the due date approached. Finally, I sighed, grabbed my papers, and filled them out with the name of our street, wrote a check, and mailed them to central headquarters. Door-to-door simply did not happen even for this worthy organization.
I return to familiar territory with Alzheimer’s Awareness and ADF-Winnemucca. I believe in our cause – generating money for respite so that caregivers have a break to re-coop and rejuvenate and education opportunities from small group presentations for clubs and organizations to our Brain Health Summit held in conjunction with Humboldt Connections. All of that money stays local to serve our residents.
Meanwhile, I am on the Northern Nevada/Northern California Alzheimer’s Board and naturally, one of my responsibilities is, you guessed it, fundraising. The big events are The Longest Day, a day to honor all caregivers and loved ones held each June, and then the Walk to End Alzheimer’s.
This year’s Walk is schedule for Oct. 19, also the weekend of UNR homecoming if that interests you, at the Sparks Marina. Locally for the Longest Day we held a Sprint Triathlon with $545 in matching funds gathered for an Alzheimer’s Association donation.
Next is our Golf Scramble June 29th. While the first is still low-key with a small group of eager participants, the latter is bigger by the nature of 18 teams times four plus our volunteers, and as TW says, “Golf is a lot more fun than running!” (He’s wrong there, but I appreciate his honest input.)
For the past several months our Scramble committee has met, planned, and organized a terrific event. With raffle prizes, stuffed goodie bags, food and beverages, and a complimentary team photo, we are set for you to join us. Planning members have assumed the roles of requesting donations and sponsorships so I have been able to slip into an advisory role. That’s a pleasant place to be plus less expensive than covering costs myself. We are far ahead of the fundraising challenge and ready to support those in need. If you are too busy to golf, or like me, you prefer a good jog over whacking a little ball, stop by that Saturday morning and peruse the many raffle offerings and invest in some tickets. At the top of the list is a gorgeous quilt lovingly stitched by Betty Lawrence. You see, our volunteers do so much more than attend meetings. They are irreplaceable; perhaps you’d like to enlist your talents.
San Francisco offers a marathon, half marathon, 10K, 5K, and a mix where you decide which events to suit you. They also sponsor the Alzheimer’s Association so this was an easy registration for me. While the marathon is beguilingly especially the trot over then under and back on the Golden Gate Bridge, I wisely selected the 10K.
A flat course along the Embarcadero sounds perfect with a Giants game to follow. I recognize that the Association has overhead, but their events typically support research, advocacy, and education. Research, as of late, has produced promising results.
Leqembi became available last year. Caught in the early stage of Alzheimer’s, this drug actually changes the biology of the brain to rid it of plaques that promote this terrible disease. Lecanemab, another prescription drug, also exhibits positive results.
The AARP magazine had an article on these drugs, pointing out the great expense to Medicare which now covers them. I agree that $25,000+ over a short period of effectiveness is staggering, but so is this dreadful disease. A well-respected doctor told me years ago that part of the holdup on a prevention, reversal, or cure is money lost to other prescription drugs and long-term care facilities. Yikes! I’d rather my donations made a constructive difference for people in need, not allowing the wealthy to get wealthier.
Our community has been generous through active participation like in the Turkey Trot (my favorite morning!) and numerous donations. I am grateful to everyone for working to de-stigmatize dementia while aiming to eradicate Alzheimer’s. You count and I count on you!