We went to the Great Minds Gala at the Marriott Wardman Park Hotel, a fundraiser in conjunction with the PEAK Leadership Summit that recognizes people who've helped those touched by Alzheimer’s. There was a cocktail reception, dinner, awards program, silent auction, and performance by hip-hop choir Urban Nation. We snapped Shannon and Ashley Campbell, son and daughter of legendary country music singer Glen Campbell, who was diagnosed with the disease in 2011; his family is now a strong advocate for research, education, and support. They’re with PCH Films' Kayla Thornton.
Trevor Albert and James Keach, producer and film director for PCH Films, are producing a documentary about Glen Campbell and his battle with Alzheimer’s to be released in 2014; they won Senator Proxmire Awards. They're with Nantz National Alzheimer Center's Melissa Miller and Arnold P. Gold Foundation's Nancy Lynn.
The gala was originally created by LeadingAge members, Episcopal Ministries to the Aging, and the Copper Ridge Institute in honor of Senator William Proxmire, who lived there after being diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. His wife, gala chair Ellen Proxmire, approached Copper Ridge with the idea. We snapped her with Glen Campbell's wife Kim, whose family received a Senator Proxmire Award, LeadingAge CEO Larry Minnix, and George Mason's Frank Shafroth.
Elizabeth Kennedy, Casie Kiel, and Alfredo Flores contributed to this issue.
