At the Penn Memory Center, we’re leading the fields of Alzheimer’s disease care, research, education and discovery, but we can’t do it without philanthropic support. On a late September evening in 2019, more than 100 PMC supporters gathered at The Prime Rib in Center City for an evening of cocktails, raffle prizes and, most importantly, conversations about how gifts advance our research, social support, outreach and training.
The first event of its kind for PMC, “A Night Out for Alzheimer’s Disease” was meant to test the waters, and organizers say they were inspired by the results. About $40,000 was raised the night of the event, and a generous gift by the evening’s host, Eli Caplan, brought the total to more than $150,000.
“We were blown away by the passion of our supporters at our first fundraising event,” said PMC Executive Director Felicia Greenfield. “We couldn’t have done it without our dedicated advisory committee and our host, Eli Caplan.”
The $150,000 will be used for a variety of research, social support, outreach and training efforts, but that amount could fund:
- 60 PET scans, which allow researchers to detect the Alzheimer’s disease process even before individuals exhibit symptoms.
- 19 editions of InSight magazine
- 50 years of monthly Memory Cafés, providing lectures and entertainment for those living with cognitive impairment and their loved ones
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020 fundraiser has been postponed to Spring 2021. Details will be released in the 2020 edition of InSight Magazine.