Blondes reigned victorious on the field at the Alzheimer’s Association Blondes vs. Brunettes flag football game at Girls Preparatory School. Off the field, the teams united in an effort to raise funds and increase awareness of Alzheimer’s disease among a new generation. Together, Blondes vs. Brunettes raised more than $13,000 for Alzheimer's care, support and research programs.
According to the Alzheimer's Association 2014 Alzheimer's Disease Facts and Figures, nearly two-thirds of Americans with Alzheimer’s disease are women.
The Blondes Co-captains Kelsie Hanson, attorney with Husch and Blackwell and Kelsie McNutt, accountant at Ernst & Young shared a little about their experience following the game.
“It was an inspiring experience to see so many young men and women devote themselves to the success of this fundraiser,” said Ms. Hanson. “The dedication resulted in a competitive and exciting game as well as an impressive sum to donate to the Alzheimer’s Association. I had a great time and met some incredible people. I will definitely be doing this again next year.”
"I had the privilege of helping plan as well as participate in this event, and I feel like we had a great game that was a lot of fun and very competitive for both teams," said co-captain Ms. McNutt. "Although both teams obviously wanted to win on the field, we all knew the ultimate goal was to work together to raise money and awareness to find a cure for Alzheimer's. I'm thankful for the opportunity to get to know so many great people and most importantly, share the passion and commitment among both teams to help raise money and awareness for Alzheimer's disease. "
A volunteer event driven by young women, the first Blondes vs. Brunettes game was held in Washington D.C. in 2005. Since its inception, Blondes vs. Brunettes has expanded to more than 35 games, including Boston, Buffalo, Denver, Houston, Kansas City, Los Angeles, Minneapolis-St. Paul and New York. Together, Blondes vs. Brunettes have raised more than $5 million in an effort to tackle Alzheimer’s disease.
Special Events Manager Beth Cragon shared that as of Game Day, each team had raised well over $5,000 each in the fight against Alzheimer's with an fundraising total of $13,800.00. Top fundraisers for the event were Lori Hairrell from Morning Pointe Corporate coming in 3rd place; Andrew Sevigny, actuary at Unum and Brunettes head coach in 2nd place, and Kayla Murray coming in as top fundraiser raising $1,600.
Sponsors Senior Care Advisors and Ross Chiropractic were also in attendance.
"We are thrilled about this year's success and cannot wait to continue the fight with a second annual Blondes vs. Brunettes Chattanooga at GPS next year,” says Ms. Cragon. “All of our participants are passionate about the BvB mission to tackle Alzheimer's while helping the local Alzheimer's Association provide care, support and education to the community and are looking forward to seeing the event grow."
Alzheimer’s disease is a growing epidemic and the nation’s sixth leading cause of death. More than 5 million Americans are living with Alzheimer’s and this number is estimated to grow to as many as 16 million by year 2050. In Tennessee alone, there are 110,000 people living with Alzheimer’s. For more information about Alzheimer’s disease or Blondes vs. Brunettes, go to alz.org or call 800.272-3900.