Bart and Nancy Westcott were first inspired to support the Alzheimer's Association in the early 2000s, when Nancy attended a fundraising luncheon hosted by the Northern California and Northern Nevada Chapter. The program opened her eyes to the disease as a public health crisis several years before Bart's brother-in-law developed younger-onset Alzheimer's at age 60. The couple resolved to support the cause by donating to the Association and holding a variety of volunteer leadership positions at the chapter.

Several years after that, Bart and Nancy began taking ballroom dance lessons at an Arthur Murray dance center in preparation for their daughter's wedding. A lightbulb went off for Nancy while reading an article about the cognitive benefits of exercise.

She asked the owners of her local studio if they would be willing to help recruit teams for The Longest Day®, now known as Do What You Love to End ALZ™. That year, 16 Arthur Murray teams from Northern California, Washington and Hawaii raised over $50,000 for the Association's care, support and research efforts. The following year, 100 Arthur Murray teams across the world participated to raise $212,000.

"What I enjoy most about my work with the Alzheimer's Association is the creativity you can apply to it — in the form of ideas for fundraising, networking, volunteer recruitment and raising awareness," Nancy says.

With their passion in full swing, the Westcotts continued to look for ways to help those facing Alzheimer's and raise awareness of the disease. In particular, they immersed themselves in the Association's public policy efforts, including the Alzheimer's Impact Movement (AIM), a separately incorporated advocacy affiliate of the Association. As charter members of the AIM Leadership Society, Nancy and Bart have advocated on the state and federal levels for funding increases and critical legislation.

Nancy now serves on the Association's National Board. "By working with the Association to fight Alzheimer's, we've built so many new relationships. We found a community — and we really value that," she says. "It's remarkable what good can come from this terrible disease."