Alzheimer’s group promotes scholarships

Staff report

new york

Whether teens are trying to understand the loss of a relative or neighbor to Alzheimer’s disease, or have a volunteer experience to share, the Alzheimer’s Foundation of America (AFA) encourages college-bound students to apply for its 4th annual AFA Teens for Alzheimer’s Awareness College Scholarship.

AFA will award $5,000 to the winner, and $500 and $250 prizes for first and second runners-up, respectively, which must be used toward first-year tuition at a four-year college or university.

The competitive scholarship application asks students to write a 1,200- to 1,500-word essay giving consideration to “the impact Alzheimer’s disease has on their own lives and what they learned about themselves, their family and/or their community in coping with the disease.”

New this year, AFA has introduced an online application process, in addition to mail submissions. Deadline is Feb. 15. For details, visit www.afateens.org.

With as many as 5.1 million Americans affected by Alzheimer’s disease, and the incidence expected to increase dramatically, the scholarship is part of AFA’s efforts through its AFA Teens division to educate and raise awareness among teens across America about the disorder.

The division, founded by a teenager, recently received the “Rosalinde Gilbert Innovations in Alzheimer’s Disease Caregiving Legacy Award” from the Rosalinde and Arthur Gilbert Foundation and the Family Caregiver Alliance in recognition of the program’s “outstanding service and innovative strategies in serving individuals with Alzheimer’s disease and their caregivers.”

“AFA Teens uniquely serves an age group that is often in need and often overlooked,” said Eric J. Hall, AFA’s president and chief executive officer. “The scholarship provides an opportunity for teens to better understand this disease and come to terms with the many difficult emotions they face when someone they care about has been affected.”

In addition to the scholarship, AFA Teens features a website with information about the disease, and a blog and bulletin board for teens to express their thoughts and share experiences with peers, and offers a new annual video competition for teens.

For more information, visit www.afateens.org.

The Alzheimer’s Foundation of America, based in New York, is a nonprofit organization that unites more than 1,600 member organizations nationwide with the goal of providing optimal care and services to individuals confronting dementia, and to their caregivers and families.

For more information about AFA and its events, call toll-free 1-866-AFA-8484 or visit www.alzfdn.org.