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(Monday, June 5, 2017 – New York, NY) – Members
of New York City’s philanthropic, business, health care and
Alzheimer’s communities joined forces tonight at
The Pierre, at the annual “Forget-Me-Not” Gala hosted by CaringKind,
(formerly known as the Alzheimer’s Association, NYC
Chapter). CaringKind has been NYC’s leading expert in
Alzheimer’s and dementia caregiving for over three decades.
The event, emceed by CBS 2 Medical Reporter Dr.
Max Gomez, raised $1.8 million.
Honored at this year’s Gala with the
Corporate Leadership Award was Allergan,
for its longstanding partnership and generous support of
CaringKind. Accepting the award was Brent
Saunders, Chairman, President and CEO. CaringKind also
honored its longest-serving Board Member William
M. Brachfeld, as well as Heath
B. McLendon, Board Member Emeritus, for their service
and dedication to CaringKind and to the more than half a
million New Yorkers who have dementia or are caring for
someone who does. The fundraiser was chaired by Fred
Hassan, Partner & Managing Director, Warburg Pincus LLC.
Also supporting CaringKind at the gala were
actor Victor
Garber, who lost both parents to complications from
Alzheimer's disease; actor and Broadway star Ron
Rifkin; and
distinguished members of the research and medical community
including Dr.
Peter Davies, Dr.
Mony De Leon, Dr.
Warachal Faison, Dr.
Silvia Fossati, Dr.
Larry Honig, Dr.
Jose Luchsinger, Dr.
Mary Mittelman, Dr.
Mary Sano, Dr.
Andrew Teich, and Dr.
Jessica Zwerling.
Lou-Ellen Barkan, President and CEO of
CaringKind, said, “A brand new report from the Centers for
Disease Control confirms what CaringKind has known for
decades: as the number of people with Alzheimer’s continues
to grow, the burdens on family caregivers increases
exponentially. And,
in the absence of a cure and effective therapies, good care
is the best medicine we have. At CaringKind,
we create the kind of innovative and compassionate support
services that our caregivers deserve and our families need.
“None of our work would be possible without
the generous support of everyone here tonight at the
“Forget-Me-Not” Gala. I’d
like to thank all of our supporter and partners, and our
honorees and gala chair for their extraordinary generosity
and commitment to those we serve. We are proud to
premiere “Caring Through Music,” a short video sponsored by
Bang & Olufsen in partnership with CaringKind, showing the
power of music to enhance the quality of life for families
coping with the challenges of caring for an individual with
Alzheimer’s and related dementias,” Barkan added.
The evening offered a cocktail reception,
silent and live auctions, and dinner and dancing to Hank
Lane Music and Productions with Harris Lane, band leader.
The live auction was conducted by Jonathan
S. Henes, Partner
at Kirkland & Ellis LLP and CaringKind Board member.
Notable auction items included four tickets in a box for a
Billy Joel concert; Yankees legends seats, batting practice
and a meet-and-greet with Joe Girardi; a VIP Hello
Dolly package;
a trip aboard The
World; summer internship at CaringKind; and a dinner
with both a distinguished Alzheimer’s scientist and
Tony Award winning actor and tireless advocate for the
Alzheimer’s community, David
Hyde Pierce.
Among CaringKind’s free programs and services
supported by the “Forget-Me-Not” Gala are:
· The 24-hour
Helpline (646-744-2900)
– giving New Yorkers access to expert and caring advice 365
days a year;
· Hundreds
of free support
groups,
workshops and educational
seminars for
caregivers and people with the disease;
· Social
work services;
· Dementia
care training
programs for home health aides and other healthcare
professionals;
· MedicAlert® NYC
Wanderer’s Safety Program –
providing resources to protect New Yorkers with dementia who
wander;
· The
state-of-the-art Early
Stage Center;
· Satellite
programs in Queens, Brooklyn and the Bronx; and
· Outreach
efforts to
the African-American, Latino, Chinese, Orthodox Jewish, and
LGBT communities.
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About CaringKind: CaringKind is
New York City’s leading expert on Alzheimer’s and dementia
caregiving. With over 30 years of experience, we work
directly with our community partners to develop the
information, tools and training to support individuals and
families affected by dementia. We offer a 24-hour Helpline
run by professional staff, individual and family counseling
sessions with licensed social workers; a vast network of
support groups; education seminars and training programs;
early stage services and a wanderer’s safety program. We
believe in the power of caregiving and seek a world where
everyone dealing with dementia has the support they need,
when they need it.
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