Elizabeth Gelfand Stearns expressed the gratitude of The Judy Fund to many Alzheimer's disease champions in Congress, including Rep. Tom Cole (R-Oklahoma). Both Rep. Cole and Rep. Nita Lowey, (D-New York) (not pictured) received Humanitarian awards at the Forum. Dear Family and Friends, As an Alzheimer's Association advocate, it was my honor to represent all the supporters of The Judy Fund at the Association's 2017 Advocacy Forum. This was our 12th year at Forum, and this year had the largest number of attendees ever, with 1,300 from all 50 states. One of the session speakers shared with the crowd that many Members of Congress consider the Alzheimer's Association Ambassadors and advocates among the best-trained, most effective voices on Capitol Hill. The Alzheimer's Association Ambassadors, who advance our mission year-round by working with their legislators to educate and advocate, are in the vanguard of the call for change. Thanks to your support, The Judy Fund has championed the Ambassadors program from day one, and the impact has been incredible: The program has grown from a small pilot program of 24 people in 2010 to 515 Ambassadors today! As I looked out at the crowd gathered in Washington to tell our stories and fight for effective treatments and improved quality of life for those living with this disease, my thoughts turned to all of you, whose generous support of the The Judy Fund makes possible the growing impact of the movement to end this disease. Thank you!

Ella Stearns and her mother, Elizabeth Gelfand Stearns, met backstage with actor and dedicated Alzheimer's celebrity champion Peter Gallagher. Peter did a wonderful job as emcee for the National Alzheimer's Dinner, part of the 2017 Alzheimer's Association Advocacy Forum. At Forum, on social media, and at 500 meetings across Capitol Hill, advocates urged Congress to increase funding for Alzheimer's research by at least an additional $414 million in fiscal year 2018. In 2017 we had 498 of our 515 Ambassadors in attendance at the Forum thanks to the support of friends like you. A significant portion of The Judy Fund budget provides scholarships that allow Ambassadors to come to Washington, DC to fight for investments in research, care and support. It's no coincidence that all of the recent policy and funding gains made by the Association have happened while the Ambassador program was expanding, which is why I'd be so grateful for your ongoing support of The Judy Fund today.

Alzheimer's Association president and CEO Harry Johns presents the Lifetime Achievement Award to Maria Shriver. Another highlight of the evening was seeing Maria Shriver, surrounded by her family, accept a Lifetime Achievement Award at the National Alzheimer's Dinner for the impact she's made in the fight against this disease. The Alzheimer's Association Lifetime Achievement Award recognizes an individual dedicated to raising awareness of the fight to end Alzheimer's disease and to increasing support for the millions of families affected. Maria gracefully accepted the recognition but vowed that the award doesn't mean she's done fighting this disease, “I truly believe with all my heart that the women and men in this room — and those we represent — are within striking distance of our foe,” she said. “If enough people put their minds and their efforts and their energy to an issue, they change the trajectory of that issue. AIDS activists did it, cancer activists did it — and we, the Alzheimer's agitators, instigators and warriors in this room can do it as well.” Well-said, Maria!

Posing at The Judy Fund's Tamarisk event: (l-r) Dr. Heather Snyder, senior director of medical and scientific operations at the Alzheimer's Association, Marshall Gelfand, Jackie Rudman and Elizabeth Gelfand Stearns.

The Alzheimer's Association recently released its 2017 Facts and Figures report. One of the many reasons I'm so passionate about ending Alzheimer's disease is that women are disproportionately affected by this crisis. That's why The Judy Fund was one of the first to support the Women's Alzheimer's Research Initiative (WARI), which recently announced research awards to nine studies to support scientific investigation into the role of sex-related biological, genetic and lifestyle factors in Alzheimer's and other dementias. According to the latest Alzheimer's Association Facts and Figures report, our investment is needed now more than ever, because: Alzheimer's kills more than breast cancer and prostate cancer combined Almost two-thirds of Americans living with Alzheimer's disease are women Of the 15 million Americans who provide unpaid care for someone with Alzheimer's or other dementias, approximately two-thirds are women To learn more, download the full Facts and Figures report here.

ΣAM members Jonathan D'Orazio and Max Goldfarb from the University of Wisconsin are flanked by Robert Egge, chief public policy officer for the Alzheimer's Association, Elizabeth Gelfand Stearns, chair of The Judy Fund, and Alzheimer's Association president and CEO Harry Johns. In a tradition that honors the Sigma Alpha Mu chapter raising the most funds during No Shave November, ΣAM members Jonathan D'Orazio and Max Goldfarb from the University of Wisconsin — Beta Iota Chapter joined us at the Forum. Both Jon and Max have faced this disease in their families. On Capitol Hill, both stepped forward to tell their stories to the Wisconsin delegation. Jonathan spoke of his grandmother, saying, “My grandmother has dementia and has lived with my family for years. My parents' work took them away during the day, so my sister and I helped care for my grandmother. If you know Italian grandmothers, the most dangerous thing you can tell them is that they can't do something.” Jonathan wrote us afterward to say, “Throughout the Forum, Max and I were approached by countless advocates who thanked us for our contributions to Alzheimer's research. Although our fraternity is proud of what we have accomplished, it is the advocates at the conference and individuals fighting this disease that deserve praise. This was an experience we will never forget.”

Thank you so much for your continued support of The Judy Fund at this important time in our fight against Alzheimer's disease. Happy Spring! Sincerely, Elizabeth Gelfand Stearns Chair, The Judy Fund