| Areas we serve Office locations and phone numbers |
About us
The Alzheimer’s Association, Greater Iowa Chapter, provides vital services and support to individuals, families and care partners. We serve 63 counties in Iowa and Illinois.
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 Greater Iowa 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. The Chapter uses 84% of all funds raised for programs, services and research efforts.
Annual Report
| 2008 Fiscal Year |
| 2007 Fiscal Year |
2009-2011 Strategic Plan
Goal 1: Promote Concern and Awareness of the Disease and the Association - To collaboratively increase, mobilize, and expand the level of concern for Alzheimer’s disease as a nationwide movement and to dramatically increase the level of awareness of the Association as the leader in the fight against Alzheimer’s disease.
1. Implement local awareness building activities in support of the national Champions campaign.
2. Conduct a review of the chapter’s program promotion efforts to determine the most effective ways to reach target audiences.
3. Educate staff, board members and other stakeholders about the differences between various Alzheimer organizations in the chapter service area.
4. Enhance communication and marketing efforts with a full time Communications Director.
Goal 2: Advancing Advocacy - To dramatically increase the reach, influence and effectiveness of advocacy to advance the Association’s mission through improved local, state and federal policy.
1. Work in conjunction with the Iowa Chapter Network, Iowa Department of Elder Affairs and other stakeholders to continue implementation of recommendations from the 2007 Alzheimer’s disease task force report, with priority given to recommendations that most closely address the Alzheimer’s Association mission and policy priorities.
2. Participate in public policy initiatives with the Illinois Chapter Network.
3. Engage board members, staff and/or volunteers in the annual Public Policy Forum in Washington DC.
4. Recruit an individual with expertise in public policy to the board of directors.
5. Recruit advocates at all programs and fundraising events, with an emphasis on individuals who are caregivers or have early/young onset.
6. Develop and implement a grasstops advocacy effort to support state legislative initiatives.
7. Develop an infrastructure to track advocates and their activities to support chapter and national policy initiatives.
8. Conduct an annual lobby day at the state capital in cooperation with the other chapters in Iowa. Participate in a similar lobby day in Illinois.
9. Work in conjunction with Governor Culver’s office to include Silver Alert legislation as one of his legislative priorities.
10. Visit all members of Iowa’s Congressional delegation and representatives of the chapter’s counties in western Illinois annually to inform them of the Association’s federal priorities.
Goal 3: Advancing the Association’s Continuum of Care and Support - To promote and develop the full range of quality support, care, and services for individuals with Alzheimer’s and their caregivers throughout the continuum of the disease, with a special emphasis on early detection.
1. Explore opportunities to conduct outreach campaigns with primary care physicians and neurologists to raise awareness about the chapter’s programs and services for persons with dementia.
2. Include information about early detection on the chapter’s website and annually in the quarterly newsletter.
3. Work with the Iowa Chapter Network and other stakeholders to pass legislation to implement a statewide campaign to educate healthcare providers regarding early detection instruments as recommended by the 2007 Alzheimer’s disease task force.
4. Assist the Iowa Department of Public Health in implementing legislation passed in 2008 to analyze the problem of Alzheimer’s disease in Iowa, including modifying its community needs assessment activities to include questions to identify and quantify the numbers of such persons.
5. Collaborate with the Iowa Department of Elder Affairs and other stakeholders to increase and enhance training and education requirements about Alzheimer’s disease for a variety of employees in settings that serve people with dementia.
6. Develop and deliver a common, evidence-based state-wide dementia care training program.
7. Continue to provide and evaluate the chapter’s current core services:
• Information and Referral
• Care Consultation
• Education
• Support Services
• Medic Alert + Safe Return
8. Actively participate in nationwide efforts to develop standardized services and incorporate new services as they become available and are appropriate for the chapter’s constituency.
Goal 4: Advancing Research - To increase both the Association’s financial support of both biomedical and social/behavioral research and the collaborations in the broader Alzheimer’s community to fund and facilitate greater focus on unrepresented and understudied areas of research.
1. Increase funding for basic research by identifying donors within the chapter territory who wish to make major gifts restricted for research in Iowa.
2. Provide local support, as appropriate, of the national clinical trials initiative.
3. Conduct research receptions to allow researchers to communicate with potential donors.
Goal 5: Enhancing Revenue to Support the Mission - To increase revenue support of the full mission of the Association in a collaborative manner from a variety of sources, and to be one of the top five voluntary health agencies in the country in private support.
1. Train volunteers to assist with development activities.
2. Increase Memory Walk revenue by 50% by FY 2011.
3. Explore new revenue streams in conjunction with the national office.
4. Achieve annual fundraising goals to achieve the strategic initiatives of the chapter while continuing to build chapter reserves.
Goal 6: Operational effectiveness and organizational oversight - Continually improve the chapter’s efficiency and strengthen its governance in order to enhance overall effectiveness and service to person’s impacted by dementia.
1. Improve efficiencies in management and fund raising activities.
2. Continue to invest in technology to improve program delivery and staff productivity.
3. Maintain a diverse board of directors with a broad range of collective skills through on ongoing process of board member recruitment.
Board of directors – Greater Iowa Chapter
Officers
Debbie Miner- President
Curtis J. Ford-Vice President
Dawn Wagner- Secretary
Missy Sisler, CPA- Treasurer
Craig Miller- Immediate Past President
Directors
Dan Davis
Thomas R. Fischer, Jr.
Steve Habenicht, CSA
Darshini Jayawardena
Megan Milligan
Brent Sample, CPA
Heike Schmolck, MD
Tom Watson
Our history
In 1982, Alzheimer's disease was rarely diagnosed, its extent was little known and no treatments or services were available. Few scientists investigated it. There were no practical guidelines for treatment or care. Family caregivers struggled to provide care for loved ones.
In Davenport, Iowa, a committed group of caregivers dedicated themselves to forming a support group for caregivers dealing with Alzheimer's. In 1983, Josephine Lindquist and Sister Carolyn Walters had their first informational meeting. Thirty people attended that first meeting. Later that year, the group formed its own organizational board of directors, In 1984, the volunteer group affiliated itself with the National Alzheimer's Association.
In Central Iowa, caregivers followed much the same route, banding together to offer support and help spread awareness of this little-understood disease. From the Golden Iowa Chapter, the Mid-Iowa Chapter, and mergers with the Mississippi Valley Chapter has emerged the Greater Iowa Chapter of the Alzheimer's Association.
Today we are the primary resource for information, assistance and support for people living with Alzheimer's disease, as well as the friends, family members and professionals working to make Alzheimer's just a memory.
