About us
The Alzheimer’s Association, Central New York Chapter is the only organization in our region dedicated to the elimination of Alzheimer's disease and the support of individuals who have been diagnosed with it.
Our mission
To eliminate Alzheimer's disease through the advancement of research; to provide and enhance care and support for all affected; and to reduce the risk of dementia through the promotion of brain health.
Our vision
A world without Alzheimer's disease.
Financial information
The Alzheimer's Association, Central New York Chapter is a tax-exempt, 501(c)(3) nonprofit, donor-supported organization. Programs and services are made possible through contributions from individuals, corporations and foundations.
Annual report
Download our 2006-07 annual report and honor roll of donors.
Download our 2005-06 annual report and honor roll of donors.
Chapter Staff
Catherine James
Chief Executive Officer
Tricia Bannister
Northern Regional Director
Toni Ann Daley
Director of Fund Development
Julie Darling
Mohawk Valley Regional Director
L. Jane Hudreck
Southern Tier Regional Director
Michael Massurin
Director of Programs and Services
Melissa McMahon
Day Program Director
Jared Paventi
Public Affairs Director
William Starliper
Director of Finance
Rebecca Alder
Helpline Specialist
Lynn Augenstern
Administrative Assistant
Sharon Eisenson
Day Program Care Coordinator
Grant Fletcher
Fundraising Events Planner
Deborah Gillmor
Development Associate
Michele Lytle
Day Program Coordinator
Kelly McDaniels
Education Coordinator
Cindy Morgan
Bookkeeper
Cynda Penfield
Donor Relations Specialist
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Board of directors
Larry Malfitano
President
Dr. Christina Hasemann
Vice President
Paul Stepien
Vice President
Dr. Marian Schoenheit
Secretary
Keith Rung
Treasurer
Scott Harris
Member-at-Large
Paulette Nickerson
Ex-officio
Directors:
Angie Caiola
Helen Druce
M. Paula Hennerty
Mary Koenig
Marty Manning
Kay O'Brien
Mary Pat Oliker
Larry Schipps
Dr. John Smarrelli
Edward Smith
Ellen Somers
Jay Sullivan
Andrea Zurbruegg Bennett
Board members may be reached by e-mail at alzcny@alzcny.org.
Our history
In April,1982, a group of doctors and caregivers gathered to discuss a growing need for services related to Alzheimer’s disease in the Syracuse community. Four months later, this group incorporated the Alzheimer’s Association, Central New York Chapter. In 25 years, the chapter has grown to a $1.3 million organization covering 14 counties from New York’s borders with Canada and Pennsylvania and from the Finger Lakes on the west to the Adirondacks on the east.
The Alzheimer’s Association, Central New York Chapter celebrates its silver anniversary in 2007, marking a quarter century as a catalyst and leader for a generation of advancements in Alzheimer’s care. The chapter’s achievements and progress in the field have given thousands of people a better quality of life and brought hope for millions more.
The Chapter was formed in 1982 after Dr. Francis Durgin convened a meeting of community members — including Dr. Leo Jivoff, Dr. Frank Reed, Roslyn Bilford, executive director of the Metropolitan Commission on Aging (MCOA), and social worker Nancy Calhoun — to discuss the growing need for services to individuals with Alzheimer’s in the area. Two months later, Bilford and the MCOA held a town meeting on Alzheimer’s disease, expecting 50 people to attend. More than 200 people showed, proving to community members that more needed to be done to address the issue. With funding from the MCOA, Central New York Community Foundation, Schlesinger Fund and Rosamond Gifford Foundation, the movement was able to form an organization.
The Alzheimer’s Association started off not in an office, but on an ironing board. The founding directors of the chapter — Bilford, Calhoun, Durgin and Jivoff — hired Cynthia Stevenson to coordinate the organization from her home, where she set up an office on her ironing board. Stevenson, who currently works for the Onondaga County Department of Aging and Youth, had first-hand knowledge of the disease, serving as primary caregiver for her mother who had Alzheimer’s.
Support groups and education meetings were Stevenson’s primary concentration. Local educational meetings attracted in excess of 100 people at each gathering, signaling a need for more information about the disease. By the spring of 1983, the group was granted provisional chapter status by the National Alzheimer’s Association. It received its official designation as a chapter in 1985. In 1988, the chapter and its day program, which had been operating at St. Joseph’s the Worker Church in Liverpool, moved into its building on West Kirkpatrick Street in Syracuse. The building, donated by Donald Moore, continues to house the chapter’s main office and a dementia-specific adult day program in the Syracuse area.
Since then, the chapter has grown with the needs of the community. With more than 131,000 people affected by Alzheimer’s disease in its footprint, the chapter provides vital services to individuals with the disease, their families and care partners.
The 25th anniversary of the Alzheimer’s Association, Central New York Chapter marks a turning point in the chapter. As an established human services organization, the chapter is poised for infinite growth in serving the needs of individuals touched by Alzheimer’s and their families.
There are three easy ways to get involved — advocate, volunteer or donate. Advocates give a voice to those who do not have one. They visit with state legislators, write letters and make phone calls on behalf of the Association and the people it serves. Association volunteers make the gift of time by serving on event, planning or policy committees, working at events or in one of our offices. Volunteers gain a firsthand experience of the Association’s work and how it impacts the lives of individuals and family members affected by the disease. Chapter donors have the opportunity to make the greatest impact. Donations to the chapter are returned to the community in the form of its core services, many of which are available free of charge. They sustain the organization and provide the resources to execute its mission.
