The Judy Fund summer update

Ilana McBride, Jackie Stearns, Richard Stearns, Elizabeth Gelfand Stearns, Laurence Rosenthal and Elias Sager at the 12^th Annual OPICA Adult Day Program and Counseling Center Forget-Me-Not Luncheon honoring Elizabeth Gelfand Stearns.

Dear Family and Friends,

Summer is the time when life slows down – just a little. But at The Judy Fund, the fight against Alzheimer's disease is never far from our thoughts or actions, because like so many families, there is always one person missing from weddings, graduations and other gatherings at this time of the year.

While Alzheimer's robbed our family of my mother, Judy, she fights on through The Judy Fund. Whoever you fight for when you support The Judy Fund, we're honored to have you beside us. With Alzheimer's & Brain Awareness Month still fresh on our minds, I hope the stories below will inspire you to help raise funds and awareness by participating in The Judy Fund movement! Together, we can be the generation that helps end Alzheimer's.

At the 12^th annual Forget-Me-Not Luncheon at the Four Seasons Los Angeles at Beverly Hills with event co-chairs, Alzheimer's Association Ambassador George-Ann Hyams and Laurie Burrows Grad.

Elizabeth Gelfand Stearns honored by OPICA

On June 22, I was honored to receive the 2017 Founders' Award from OPICA Adult Day Program and Counseling Center in Los Angeles for contributions to the Alzheimer's community. With more than 5 million Americans living with Alzheimer's and 15 million people caring for them, we must give the best care and support possible to people facing this disease – as we supply the most money possible to researchers seeking a cure. Thanks to friends like you, over the past 36 months, increases to Alzheimer's research funding at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) has more than tripled to $1.4 billion. These historic increases are thanks in large part to The Judy Fund's over 2,000 donors nationwide who've helped fund the Alzheimer's Association Ambassadors Program. Our more than 500 unrelenting Alzheimer's advocates work with their state and federal legislators year-round, nation-wide, to advance both Alzheimer's research funding and Alzheimer's care and support initiatives. I share this award with each of them and with each of you.

The Gelfand family wedding portrait from Ilana and Marcus' wedding: Ben Gelfand, Monica Gelfand, Brian Gelfand (holding Addy Lee Gelfand). Below is Ayla Gelfand, Ilana McBride, Marcus McBride, Doreen Gelfand, Todd Gelfand.

Gelfand-McBride wedding hashtag inspires $1,500 gift to The Judy Fund

Judy Gelfand would be proud of her granddaughter Ilana, Todd and Doreen Gelfand's daughter, who made The Judy Fund the focus of the registry for her May wedding to Marcus McBride. Guests traveled from 21 states as well as Israel, Germany and the UK to attend, and the Eliashars won the prize for longest distance traveled of 7,567 miles! “The Judy Fund is so close to our hearts. The gift of a donation towards a cure for Alzheimer's is far more substantial than any pot, pan, or fork we'll ever receive,” Ilana says. But the bride and groom didn't stop there. “Since we knew our guests would be quick to post wedding photos to social media, we asked in the wedding program that they use the hashtag #TheMcBrideandGroom,” Ilana explains. “For each use of the hashtag, we made a $5 donation to The Judy Fund.” Ilana and Marcus' creative idea encouraged guests to take photos of precious moments the couple might otherwise have missed while inspiring a fun, new way to make a meaningful donation to The Judy Fund. “With about 300 uses of the hashtag, we made a donation of $1,500 to The Judy Fund, and we now have a whole photo album on Instagram of everyone's photos!” Ilana says. What a beautiful way to start a new life together and give back to the cause! Thank you, Ilana and Marcus!

Ours was one of the largest teams last year at the Santa Monica Walk to End Alzheimer's, but there's always room for more! Please join us this year in one of four cities where The Judy Fund team will walk.

Join The Judy Fund Walk Team!

The Judy Fund is excited to be participating again in Walk to End Alzheimer's^®, the world's largest event to raise awareness and funds for Alzheimer's care, support and research. We plan to form teams in Chicago, New York, Los Angeles, and Nashville this year, but if you'd like to start a team in your city, let us know how we can help you! This year our fundraising goal for The Judy Fund national team is $50,000, and we know that our friends and family will come together to help us meet the challenge. We're especially grateful to the employees from Partner's Trust, my husband Richard Stearns' company, and GR&F, my father Marshall's and my brother Todd's company, for their participation and support every Walk season! To join or to make a donation to our national team, please visit //act.alz.org/thejudyfund today.

Your ongoing support will help The Judy Fund continue to partner with the Alzheimer's Association to advance urgently needed research and public policy initiatives that reflect a commitment to Alzheimer's commensurate with the impact of the disease.

Sincerely,

Elizabeth Gelfand Stearns
Chair, The Judy Fund

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