Dear Friends,
 Aesop said that “No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever
wasted.” These wise words call to mind the extraordinary efforts
of the many volunteers who are the backbone of our work.
This year, we were blessed with a record number of volunteers,
all giving generously of their time to lead our support groups,
man the tables at Memory Walk, staff our 24-hour Helpline,
translate our materials into Russian and Chinese and join us for
our Washington and Albany advocacy days.
Our volunteers join us at events and in the office to perform many tasks – from teaching to filing – and they have made an indelible imprint on all of us who are touched by Alzheimer’s disease and related disorders.
Our volunteers helped us make 2006 a banner year for the Chapter. As the needs of our
community grew, we succeeded in raising record revenues to provide more – and more
comprehensive – services than ever before. Now, to support the community’s growing
needs, we are able to move to larger space, ensuring that we can build our capacity for
delivering services and create new opportunities to bring the community together. We
are grateful to Myriad Pharmaceuticals, Inc., for recognizing these important goals and
providing a grant to underwrite our Fall Newsletter.
For starters, we are embarking on a comprehensive study to better understand how
we can best help our colleagues in the City’s nursing homes to provide quality care for
residents with dementia. This timely study, which will set the stage for our work in the
future, was conducted by Rachel Albert, who joined us for the summer from Columbia
University, where she is pursuing a joint advanced degree in business and social work.
When I first met Rachel, she had many of the same questions that I hear from our volunteers,
our supporters and our clients. “Where are we with a cure for Alzheimer’s? Have
we made any progress in increasing the accuracy of an Alzheimer’s diagnosis? Are there
any new treatments?” I’m very pleased to announce that on Wednesday, October 4th, we
will hold our Annual Meeting at The Rockefeller University, where we will host a panel of
four world-renowned scientists. Our panel members will present the latest breakthroughs
in research and attempt to answer your questions. They will also discuss the ongoing and
increasingly urgent search for effective treatments and, ultimately, for a cure.
It would be tempting to sit back and congratulate ourselves on all that we have
accomplished together, but as I look to the future, I know that within a few decades,
twenty percent of all New Yorkers – more than 1.6 million of us – will either have
Alzheimer’s disease or be caring for someone who does. This is no time to rest. Now
is the time for planning and action. We must continue to build capacity and ensure
the growth of critical resources. To accomplish this, we need to rely more than ever
on our loyal volunteers.
When I see each of you at Memory Walk, (Please plan to join us at 9:00 AM on Sunday,
October 22nd!), I plan to thank each and every one of you for all you do and have done
for us. Today, I leave you with these inspiring words: “In every community there is work
to be done … In every heart there is the power to do it.”
— Lou-Ellen Barkan
President & CEO
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