AWARE Announces Partnership with the Myrna D. Schlegel Scholarship Award Fund

The announcement was made at the AWARE general meeting hosted by Myrna Schlegel

Mark your calendars for Saturday, April 8, 2017 for the annual gala
AWARE Affair Celebrate the Moments

(Featured photo: Myrna Schlegel, hostess; Venise Stuart, president, AWARE; Stacey Angel.)

(Dallas, TX)     AWARE president Venise Stuart announced the organization’s partnership with the Myrna D. Schlegel Scholarship Award Fund at a meeting hosted by Myrna Schlegel at her home recently. The meeting began with an invocation followed by a special thank you by Venise to Myrna for hosting this event. Stacey Angel introduced Myrna, recalling her longtime involvement with AWARE.

Myrna spoke, announcing the details: The fund was established in 1999 by AWARE in honor of Myrna Schlegel and has grown over the years to over $255,000.00.  Myrna and Bob Schlegel pledged a further contribution of $10,000.00 to kick-off and rejuvenate the Schlegel/AWARE partnership, bringing the fund total to over $265,000.00.

She thanked everyone for joining in this celebration and expressed her enthusiasm for the renewed partnership which supports the growth and scope of the nursing student scholarship awards, making possible a difference in the lives of nursing students who have chosen to devote their careers to work in the field of gerontology, especially dealing with dementia.

Venise introduced Angela Fontana, a chair of the AWARE Affair – Celebrate the Moments along with Andy Szuwalski, Penny Reid and Thomas Nolan, happening on Saturday, April 8, 2017 at the Hilton Anatole Stemmons Ballroom.

Honorary chairs are Amy and Greg Osler. Honorees are Pam and Dan Busbee, Myrna and Bob Schlegel and the Myrna D. Schlegel/AWARE Scholarship Fund. The event features a silent and live auction, three course dinner and dancing to the fabulous Georgia Bridgewater Orchestra.

Dr. Sara Festini, Aging Mind Postdoctoral Fellow at the Center for Vital Longevity at The University of Texas at Dallas spoke on “Staying Busy is Associated with a Sharper Mind,” giving insight into how important it is to do exactly that, followed by a Q & A. Very interesting and truly, a very insightful presentation and reassuring that yes, it is important to stay active and keep our minds learning.

Myrna D. Schlegel Scholarship Award Fund

 

AWARE Dallas is pleased to have formed a philanthropic partnership with the Myrna D. Schlegel Scholarship Award Fund.

Myrna Schlegel, R.N., L.L.D. is a registered nurse, past president of AWARE and past board member of the Alzheimer’s Association Greater Dallas Chapter, the National Alzheimer’s Association, and the Blanchette Rockefeller Neurosciences Institute.

Recognizing Myrna’s passion for nursing and elder care, AWARE established the Myrna D. Schlegel Scholarship Award Fund in 1999 in her honor.

For over two decades, the Fund has awarded scholarships to nursing students from Baylor and Texas Women’s University to further their studies in the field of gerontology, especially dementia.  AWARE Dallas is privileged to have the opportunity to partner with Myrna Schlegel on this fund.
AWARE welcomes Myrna to our Grant Review Committee and look forward to helping her continue her mission.

 

Grant recipients:

AWARE president Venise Stuart has announced the grant recipients for the 2016 – 2017 year. Applications were submitted from nonprofit organizations located in Dallas and Collin County which are working on the front lines in the fight against Alzheimer’s disease.  The final selections have been made and the recipients are:

• Center for BrainHealth: Support for research aimed at slowing the rate of cognitive decline in patients with Early Mild Cognitive Impairment;
• Juliette Fowler Homes, Inc.: Support for an expansion in the Art Therapy Program for residents who live with various stages of Alzheimer’s and related dementias;
• NorthPark Presbyterian Church: Support for the Casa de Vida program offering affordable respite care for caregivers of individuals diagnosed with beginning-to-middle stage dementia being cared for at home;
• Presbyterian Communities and Services Foundation: Support for the Grace Caring Fund which provides a safety net for Alzheimer’s and dementia residents experiencing financial hardship ensuring that they can continue living at Grace;
• The Senior Source: Support for Senior Companions (volunteers) to provide independent living services to adults with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias;
• Texas Winds Musical Outreach: Support for Musical Therapy Concerts for Seniors in Priority Facilities;
• University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center: Support for the Clinical Neurology Fellowship Program.

AWARE is dedicated to fighting Alzheimer’s disease, and its mission is to provide funding and support to nonprofit organizations that are working on the front lines to fight this disease in Dallas and the North Texas region. Through the Dallas Foundation’s Field of Interest grant program, applications to the AWARE fund were received from nonprofit organizations located in Dallas and Collin County that are working on the front lines in the fight against Alzheimer’s disease. Through the grant application review process, AWARE selects the most outstanding groups that provide services, programs, education, and resources to those suffering from Alzheimer’s disease, their families and caregivers, and to organizations doing valuable research to find a prevention and cure.

  AWARE is proud to support nonprofit organizations that share its mission and are also dedicated to fighting Alzheimer’s disease. “Together we will make a difference.”
The grants are partially funded with proceeds from the annual fundraiser, AWARE Affair Celebrate the Moments.
AWARE membership is open to the public. AWARE provides its members important opportunities to participate in a variety of ways to become engaged in the all-important fight to end Alzheimer’s disease.

* Network – Members participate in a network of individuals, many of whom have a personal experience with Alzheimer’s disease through a family member, friend, medical or other professionals in the field.

* Education – Members learn the latest information about the causes, treatment, and research on Alzheimer’s through meetings, field trips, and speakers.

* Resources – Members work collaboratively to share information and best practices in the compassionate care of loved ones with Alzheimer’s disease.

* Donations – Members know that grant recipients of the AWARE fund have been professionally vetted by The Dallas Foundation to ensure that money invested in our local community is leveraged for the best possible results in the fight to end Alzheimer’s disease.

For more information on AWARE Affair Celebrate the Moments, the grants and membership in the AWARE organization, visit the website at www.awaredallas.org  The Dallas Foundation, a 501(c)3 publicly supported charity, is the fiscal sponsor of AWARE.

Photos by Dana Driensky.
(Sharon Adams, Adams Communications Public Relations represents AWARE.)