Evanston businessman raises awareness and funds for Alzheimer’s
One Evanston businessman will be heading to island of Crete to kayak approximately 350 miles as a fundraiser for the Alzheimer’s Association Greater Illinois Chapter.
Businessman Bob Danon is picking up the paddle this September to kayak around at least three of Crete’s coasts hoping to raise awareness, and funds, for the Greater Illinois Chapter.
69 year old man to kayak 350 miles to raise money for Alzheimer’s Association®
One Evanston businessman will be heading to island of Crete to kayak approximately 350 miles as a fundraiser for the Alzheimer’s Association Greater Illinois Chapter.
Businessman Bob Danon is picking up the paddle this September to kayak around at least three of Crete’s coasts hoping to raise awareness, and funds, for the Greater Illinois Chapter. Danon has had several friends and family members be affected by this disease so he is hoping to raise at least $50,000 for the chapter. After seeing his friends’ father, Phil, go through the disease, Danon knew he had to do something.
“I spent a lot of time with Phil over the months that followed [his diagnosis], I was able to observe the slight and then significant changes taking place in his mind and in his life,” Danon said. “Like many, Phil became somewhat adept at covering up his uncertainties. And there were times when he could reach far back in his memory and pull up the remotest of details. But the fact remained, Phil’s Alzheimer’s was progressing.”
This is not the first time Danon has paddled for a purpose. In 2007 he paddled about 225 miles around parts of Crete, to raise money for the Kira Arney Fund and Pediatric Cancer Research, at Children’s Memorial Hospital in Chicago. This time around, he hopes to paddle almost 100 miles more.
“I will begin my paddle on the north coast, somewhere between the town of Hania, Gulf of Kissamos, (a bit further west) and paddling up and around the very northwest corner. I will continue down the west coast, across the south coast and up the east coast and quite possibly will round the north east corner and continue on heading back west, to the town of Siteia and depending on the wind and water with any luck, I will reach the beautiful city of Agi Nikolaos. The goal is to paddle 300-350 miles.”
The money raised will stay in Illinois and help the 210,000 Illinois residents living with Alzheimer’s Disease. Worldwide, there are at least 44 million people living with Alzheimer’s and other dementias and it is the nation’s sixth leading cause of death. More than five million Americans are living with Alzheimer’s, and this number is estimated to grow to as many as 16 million by year 2050, according to the Alzheimer’s Association® 2014 Alzheimer’s Disease Facts & Figures report.
Click here to follow Bob’s journey.
http://www.optimumseniorcare.com/services/alzheimerscare.php
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