Academy-Award winner and Alzheimer’s advocate Marcia Gay Harden shares poignant remarks while leading dementia scientists share latest research update
MENLO PARK, Calif. — February 14, 2019 — Nearly $1 million was raised Wednesday afternoon at the Part the Cloud luncheon at Sharon Heights Golf and Country Club in Menlo Park to fund cutting-edge Alzheimer’s research. Founded in 2012 by
Michaela “Mikey” Hoag with the Alzheimer’s Association, Part the Cloud is a movement to accelerate scientific progress in Alzheimer’s research. To date, Part the Cloud has raised over $30 million and funded 34 research grants to support its mission to fund early phase studies with the highest probability of slowing, stopping or ultimately curing Alzheimer’s disease.
The luncheon featured Academy-Award winner and Alzheimer’s advocate
Marcia Gay Harden, who shared her personal story of her journey as a caregiver for her late mother, who passed away with Alzheimer’s disease in 2018.
Harden shared a passage from her 2018 memoir,
The Seasons of My Mother: A Memoir of Love, Family, and Flowers. The program also included an engaging research panel moderated by
Dr. Heather Snyder, senior director of medical and scientific relations for the Alzheimer’s Association. Panelists including
Dr. Maria Carrillo, chief science officer for the Alzheimer’s Association,
Dr. Frank Longo, 2013 Part the Cloud grant recipient and professor and chair of the department of neurology and neurological sciences at Stanford University, and
Dr. Eric Siemers, president at Siemers Integration.
Hoag and event co-chairs
Stephanie Harman and
Heather Piestch were joined by more than 330 guests comprised of philanthropists and luminaries including the afternoon’s
Presenting Sponsor Stephen Silver.
“We are thrilled to bring together the Bay Area community to learn about the enormous impact this disease has on families as well as the latest innovative research funded by Part the Cloud,” said
Mikey Hoag, “We are more motivated than ever to continue to push this movement forward by accelerating research to find effective treatments for Alzheimer’s disease.”
100% of proceeds raised at the Luncheon will go to support Part the Cloud’s research grant program, which is designed to expedite transition of findings from the laboratory, through trials, into possible therapies – filling the gap in Alzheimer’s drug development by providing essential support for early phase clinical studies. Due to this increase in funding, the Alzheimer’s Association has awarded 34 research awards since January 2013. These awards span a variety of targets in Alzheimer’s disease research and fall under the leadership of some of the nation's most prestigious scientists and universities.
More than 5 million Americans are living with Alzheimer’s disease – the sixth-leading cause of death in the United States. Worldwide, there are an estimated 47 million people living with Alzheimer's and other dementias.
“All funds raised through Part the Cloud go directly towards the Alzheimer’s Association’s research programs so we can accelerate research and effective treatments for this fatal disease – the urgency has never been greater. More than five million Americans are living with Alzheimer’s currently, and that number is expected to grow to more than 14 million by 2050,” said Maria Carrillo, Ph.D., chief science officer for the Alzheimer’s Association. “We are dedicated to funding innovative research in order to change the course of Alzheimer’s and dementia for millions, and we are grateful for the continued support of the Bay Area community.”
Founded in 2012, Part the Cloud has raised over $30 million for Alzheimer's research. With 100 percent of the proceeds from Part the Cloud going directly to Alzheimer’s Association research efforts, Part the Cloud is helping to support some of the most innovative research in Alzheimer's prevention. For more information about past Part the Cloud grant recipients please visit
https://www.alz.org/partthecloud/researchers.asp.
Alzheimer's Association
The Alzheimer's Association leads the way to end Alzheimer's and all other dementia — by accelerating global research, driving risk reduction and early detection, and maximizing quality care and support. Our vision is a world without Alzheimer's and all other dementia.™ For more information, visit www.alz.org or call the 24/7 Helpline at 800.272.3900.