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A
Precious Memory
Now in its 25th year, the Alzheimer’s Association hosts
a special night at The Waldorf.
At the 2004 gala, left to right: Princess Yasmin Aga
Khan, Eunice Shriver, Maria Shriver. |
Donna Dixon Aykroyd, Susan Hess; Somers Farkas and Joanne
De Guardiola. |
From the 1920s through the 1960s, the legendary Stork Club
was the nightspot of choice for a dazzling array of stars
and scene-makers from Vanderbilts and Astors to Bogey and
Bacall. One of its most enchanting regulars was Rita Hayworth,
the epitome of glamour and style whose enduring legacy will
breathe life into that storied club once more. On Tuesday,
November 1, the grand ballroom of The Waldorf-Astoria will
magically transform into a modern Stork Club for the 2005
Alzheimer’s Association Rita Hayworth Gala, raising
funds and awareness for the disease she suffered for many
years before her death in 1987.
Hayworth’s daughter, Princess Yasmin Aga Khan, established
the gala in memory of her mother, and the evening is one of
New York’s most anticipated and successful fundraising
events. In 2004, the gala raised more than $1.6 million for
Alzheimer’s research; and, over its 20-year history,
it has provided $40 million to crush the disease.
“For me, talking with other people who have had Alzheimer’s
in their family was wonderful because it gave me a feeling
of not being alone,” said Princess Yasmin, who serves
as general chair. “The Alzheimer’s Association
became my family. I adopted them and they adopted me.”
The Association is the first and largest voluntary health
organization dedicated to finding prevention methods, treatments
and an eventual cure for Alzheimer’s. The 25-year-old
not-for-profit association offers support and consultation
services and influences policy change, serving as a respected
source for reliable information on the disease and treatments.
Most importantly, it funds vital research into early detection,
aggressive treatment and a potential cure for this progressive
brain disorder that gradually destroys a person’s memory
and ability to learn, reason and communicate.
Funds from the 2004 gala brought research gains in prevention,
better measures of experimental drugs’ effects and enhanced
care and support for those living with the disease. With the
progress made over the past 15 years, Alzheimer’s experts
anticipate major breakthroughs in prevention and treatment
in the next decade.
The Alzheimer’s Association estimates 4.5 million Americans
have the disease, a staggering figure that has more than doubled
since 1980. Sadly, that number is expected to grow: Researchers
believe the number could reach 11.3 to 16 million by 2050.
People with Alzheimer’s usually live 8 to 20 years after
the onset of symptoms and many require full-time care, medications
and treatments that aren’t always covered by insurance
or Medicare. More than half of those with the disease live
at home, depending on family and friends for care.
Since 1980, fundraisers like the New York gala have helped
the Association invest more than $185 million in Alzheimer’s
research.
And the gala is one way to help. In keeping with the “Meet
Me at the Stork Club” theme, this year’s lavish
black-tie event features a performance by singer Natalie Cole,
as well as a cocktail reception and silent auction followed
by dinner and dancing. Gala chair Somers Farkas, sponsor chair
Muffie Potter Aston and auction chairs Donna Dixon Aykroyd,
Claudia Cohen and Susan Hess join a host of dedicated volunteers
in bringing together the event, which will honor fur designer
Dennis Basso and Robert H. Benmosche, chairman and CEO of
MetLife.
“I am honored to chair the Rita Hayworth Gala and raise
money to help find a cure for this dreaded disease,”
Farkas said. “The ladies on the Steering Committee are
extraordinarily dedicated and passionate. With their help,
I know this year’s dinner will be as successful as prior
dinners have been.” |
MEREDITH
GUINNESS |
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Photo
credit:
Patrick McMullan |
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