1000 plus Walk To End Alzheimer’s

Inspired by Jeff Borghoff, a 54 year old Forked River man battling early onset Alzheimer’s and Congressman Chris Smith, 1000 plus Jersey Shore residents Walked to End Alzheimer’s on the boardwalk in Bradley Beach on Saturday. The Bradley Beach walk is expected to raise over $100,000 for the Alzheimer’s Association.

“Thank you to our #NJ04 Congressman Chris Smithfor your support at the 2018 #Walk2EndALz Bradley Beach, NJ. You’ve consistently supported theAlzheimer’s Association Greater New Jersey Chapter Alzheimer’s Association Alzheimer’s Impact Movement policies and National Institutes of Health (NIH) National Institute on Aging – NIH to help us#ENDALZ #EndAlzheimers — with Congressman Chris Smith at Bradley Beach Boardwalk.

“A heartfelt thank you to everyone who came out today to support this great cause, especially caregivers and families who have a loved one struggling with this horrible disease,” said Congressman Smith who co-authored the bipartisan National Alzheimer’s Project Act (NAPA, P.L. 111-375), which requires the creation of an annually-updated National Alzheimer’s Plan to coordinate efforts to fight Alzheimer’s and help those with the disease and their families.

“Events like this walk raise both money and awareness to support funds for Alzheimer’s research, and gives family members and people suffering from the disease hope that treatments and someday a cure will be found,” Smith said.

Held annually in hundreds of communities nationwide, the Alzheimer’s Association Walk to End Alzheimer’s is one of the world’s largest events to raise awareness and funds for Alzheimer’s care, support and research.

Smith is the co-founder and co-chairman of the Bipartisan Congressional Task Force on Alzheimer’s disease, and a long-time advocate for Alzheimer’s funding and research. Since 2015, federal funding of Alzheimer’s research has almost quadrupled…from $600 million to $2.3 billion, thanks to Smith’s legislative leadership.

In March 2018, key provisions from Smith’s Kevin and Avonte’s Law (HR 4221)—designed to help protect and locate children with Autism and elderly persons with Alzheimer’s who wander— were included in the Omnibus bill signed into law. The bill authorized $10 million in funding over five years for the Missing Americans Alert Program, which will help protect seniors with Alzheimer’s who are prone to wandering, as well as children with developmental disabilities, such as autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The program funds programs designed to help family members find loved ones in the critical first 24 hours. The law, funded at $2 million per year through FY 2022, will provide grants to help educate local law enforcement, health care agencies, and other organizations on wandering prevention efforts.