17-year old Hinsdale Central High School Senior Arya Chawla tells us why she participates in Team Up.
“I wanted to collaborate with my peers and other student leaders to create more awareness for Alzheimer’s disease, and also help in the
Association’s fundraising initiatives. It was important for me to make a difference in our communities. My grandfather has been suffering from Alzheimer’s disease for the past 5 years. I was very close to him, as he lived with us throughout my childhood. Now my grandfather lives in India and does not even recognize me or my family when we visit him. His condition has been very devastating for my family. I led a fundraising event called Music Uplifts. This was a music concert where I solicited over 10 professional musicians to perform music to benefit the Alzheimer’s Association. I also worked with the Association to present an education session about Alzheimer’s Association during the concert. It was a well-attended event, and we raised over $3,000 for the Alzheimer’s Association. It is important for our youth to get involved in their communities, and to share their own experiences about Alzheimer’s disease. Alzheimer’s is not just an “old people’s” disease. It affects the entire family in significant ways. Organizing the fundraising event definitely required time, effort, planning, organization, confidence, and leadership. I learned a lot throughout the process and gained valuable experience. Working with Team Up has been an amazing, positive experience for me. I learned so much about Alzheimer’s and the Association’s efforts to create more awareness for this disease, and solicit more support for its families. It was also great to collaborate with other students from the Chicagoland area to discuss everyone’s ideas for raising awareness in our communities, and for hosting fundraising activities. Finally, I also learned more about the costs associated with Alzheimer’s on our healthcare infrastructure. The Association was very helpful in providing many resources for me to learn about these costs. I also enjoyed learning about Alzheimer’s-related policy initiatives when I met with Congressman Roskam. All of this is a great experience as I aspire to study Public Policy in college next year. “
Team Up is a student-focused fundraiser designed to promote brain health, spread awareness and raise funds through student-coordinated events or activities. It is flexible enough to be an on-going effort or a one-time occurrence and aims to motivate young people to get involved in the fight against Alzheimer’s disease.
For More: http://www.alzheimers-illinois.org/teamup/
For more on Arya’s Music Uplifts program: https://aryachawla.com/music-uplifts
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