Pool Tournament & Chili Cook Off

Benefit
Pool Tournament

& Chili Cook Off

We're looking for pool players, good cooks,
and hungry judges to join us!

Saturday, Dec. 11th
Wagon Wheel Bar - Ossineke, MI
beginning at noon

Pool Information:
Pool teams of two, one guy and one gal, can enter the competition. Cost to enter is $20/person or $40/team. Envelopes are available at The Wagon Wheel Bar and the Alzheimer's Association to collect donations to cover the entry fee. Come have a good time and support a worthy cause!

Chili Cook Off Information:
Bring your best pot of chili in a crockpot to enter. Judging will begin shortly after noon. "Judges" will purchase a bowl and ticket for $2.00. Samples may be tasted from the various entries. To vote, drop the ticket in the can near your favorite chili and enjoy a bowlful! "Judges" may purchase as many bowls as they like. The winner of the cook off will be the one with the most tickets.

To round out the day:
Throughout the day there will be 50/50 raffles, prizes, small item raffles, and a live auction. Join us for the FUN, the FOOD, and support the FAMILIES in Northern Michigan dealing with Alzheimer's Disease.

Happy Thanksgiving!

The staff and volunteers of the
Northern Michigan Region
would like to wish you a


We are thankful for each and every one of you
who supports our association and enables us to
meet the needs of families in Northern Michigan.
We couldn't do it without YOU!

Welcome New Council Members

Welcome

our new

Northern
Michigan
Regional
Council
Members

Aaron Simon

and
Kelli Sefton

The Northern Michigan Region of the Alzheimer’s Association is pleased and honored to announce two new Regional Council members, Kelli Sefton and Aaron Simon.

Kelli and her family have lived in the Traverse City area for the last eight years; previously they lived in the Alpena area. Both she and her husband Rick own the Traverse City Wendy’s Restaurant on Division and the Wendy’s Restaurant in Petoskey. Kelli is currently serving on the Swingshift and the Stars committee for the Alzheimer’s Association.

Aaron Simon and his family also live in Traverse City. Aaron and his wife Erin are owners of Senior Helpers of Northern Michigan. He is a member of the Traverse City Area Chamber of Commerce, BASA, and the Traverse Area Association of Realtors Committee on aging in place.

What Can Your Church Do?

We are blessed with over 700 churches in the Northern Michigan Region. This area of our state was originally settled by many ethnic groups who brought their religious traditions with them. And today, their descendants carry on their faith and continue to meet from shore to shore.

The Alzheimer's Association welcomes the opportunity to meet with people of all faiths and talk about Alzheimer's Disease, the symptoms, current research, staying healthy, and other related topics. We find a large concentration of our elderly in the pews and chairs of local churches and they need to know what we have to share.

What can your church do to help educate people about Alzheimer's Disease? Call one of our offices and invite a speaker to come and address your members and guests. We are very flexible on times and dates. There is no cost for this service, but a free will offering or a donation to help defray the cost of mileage is always appreciated.

What can your church do to help keep our presence as vibrant and accessible as it is today for families dealing with Alzheimer's Disease? If every church in our region would give a $100 gift of support to the Northern Michigan Region, it would make up our projected giving shortfall for 2010/2011 and secure our ability to provide vital work in our communities.

What can you do, dear reader? Present these ideas to your church board, elders, deacons, women's groups, or pastor. Thank you!

The Shriver Report

"A Woman‘s Nation Takes on Alzheimer's" sounds the alarm for Americans—women, men, government leaders, corporations, nonprofits, churches and the press—to understand that almost a third of Americans have a family member with Alzheimer's and that women are effectively a gender under siege by this disease. Other reports on Alzheimer's exist. But this one—backed by an extensive, scientific poll, buttressed by in-depth chapters by experts and salted with dozens of poignant, revealing essays and original photography commissioned exclusively for this report—is the first to underscore the impact of the disease on women and how that impact is compounded by the increased risk women have of developing the disease. Learn more here.

Where Should I Give and Why?

It seems like everyone is asking for your donation dollars this year. And maybe everyone is! Times are hard in Northern Michigan and dollars are fewer and farther between than we've seen in a long time. The reasons for giving, however, have not changed. People are in need all across our great state, our nation, and our world.

We receive many calls at our offices in Alpena and Traverse City asking about how our donation dollars are spent. The short-hand way to describe it is this:

1) All money collected by the local offices is split 70/30 with the National Association. We keep 70% of each dollar right here in Northern Michigan. The remaining money is split 15% and 15% to research and awareness at the national level.

2) All money collected by the National Office is split 30/70 with Northern Michigan receiving 30% to further the work here in our area.

The best way to keep more of your donation dollars in Northern Michigan is to donate through one of our local offices. You can call either office to request a donation envelope at any time. The phone numbers are listed to the right. Thank you, your donations of any amount do make a difference!

Happy Hour Hustle

Monday, November 15^th, the Cambria Suites and TC Dance Star Heather Daniels will host a “Happy Hour Hustle” at Cambria Suites from 5 – 7 p.m. Heather invites everyone to “get their groove on” as she teaches the Hustle. Appetizers and a happy hour cash bar will be available. There is no entrance fee, donations are accepted and support the Alzheimer’s Association.

All proceeds from the Happy Hour Hustle will be used towards programs and services for the caregivers and over 13,000 individuals affected by Alzheimer’s Disease in Northern Michigan. The Alzheimer’s Association offers a 24 hour toll-free helpline, educational programs, support groups, our national Safe Return program, a resource center and lending library. For more information, please contact 231.929.3804.

What is the National Alzheimer's Project Act?

Here is the official summary:

National Alzheimer's Project Act - Establishes in the Office of the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) the Office of the National Alzheimer's Project to:

(1) accelerate the development of treatments that would prevent, halt, or reverse the course of Alzheimer's;
(2) create and maintain an integrated national plan to overcome Alzheimer's;
(3) help to coordinate the health care and treatment of citizens with Alzheimer's;
(4) ensure the inclusion of ethnic and racial populations that are at higher risk for Alzheimer's or that are least likely to receive care in clinical, research, and service efforts with the purpose of decreasing health disparities;
(5) coordinate with international bodies to integrate and inform the fight against Alzheimer's globally; and
(6) provide information and coordination of Alzheimer's research and services across all federal agencies. Sets forth the duties of the Director of the Office, including to use discretionary authority to evaluate all federal programs concerning Alzheimer's. Establishes in the Office an Advisory Council on Alzheimer's Research and Treatment.

The National Alzheimer's Project Act (H.R. 4689 / S. 3036) now has 33 Senate co-sponsors and 106 House co-sponsors. Send your legislators a letter requesting that they push to enact NAPA when they return to Washington after the elections.

Senator Carl Levin
Senator Debbie Stabenow
Find your local Representative here.