Two local women are learning new dance steps to raise money for the Alzheimer's Association at the organization's Memory Ball, April 13.
The Memory Ball gala pairs nine supporters of the Association with professional dancers. At the event, the couples will compete in a ballroom or Latin-style dance-off. In addition to the public dance, each of the nine participants raises money for the Alzheimer's Association's Greater Maryland Chapter. At the event, an award will be given for the couple voted best dancers, while another will honor the person who raised the most money.
Sue Levi of Owings Mills said this will be her first time dancing in front of others.
"It's been a lot of fun, but it's also been really hard," Levi said. "It's totally different from just dancing at the affairs. Trying to remember it all is the hardest part."
Levi has been partnered with dance instructor John Dawson; despite her lack of experience, she said she does not lack confidence.
"The fundraising has been going okay. It hasn't been as strong as I'd like," Levi said. "I'd like to be in first place. That's okay though, because I'm going to win the dance competition."
Jane Sewell of Reisterstown, by contrast, has years of dancing experience, but said she is still working on her technique with her partner, dance instructor Matthew Misroch.
"I danced professionally many years ago in New York with a group called the June Taylor Dancers," Sewell said. "But Matt's got his challenges out for him, since I've never done ballroom partner-type dancing before. This is kind of a new ballgame, which is fun. It's neat to do something new."
Sewell said the most difficult part of learning to ballroom dance has been following her partner and stifling the desire to go off on her own.
Rolanda Oliver, Alzheimer's Association development manager, said fundraising has been going phenomenally well so far, and the dancers are tracking ahead of where they were last year. Among the dancers, Sewell is in third place, with $13,745 raised, and Levi is immediately behind her in fourth place with $11,695.
Money raised by the dancers and ticket sales will go toward the Maryland Chapter of the Alzheimer's Association. A $5,000 corporate donation will go toward Alzheimer's research, but the rest of the money from the event will support the chapter's local resources for those with the disease and their caregivers.
These resources include support groups, a 24/7 hotline and educational programs. Oliver said these form the core of the Association's mission.
"Families who are facing this disease often don't know where to turn, so we provide a place for them to come and ask questions or even just have a shoulder to cry on," Oliver said. "Since there is no cure, it's important to provide that support. The time frame for the disease can be long, up to 20 years, so it's up to us to be like a family to them."
Levi said she was attracted to participating in this fundraiser because her mother and brother-in-law both had dementia, a symptom of Alzheimer's.
"I'm getting up in age now, and I look at my family history and I think it would be great to find better treatments," Levi said. "My husband is a pharmacist, and I'm always asking if they've found anything yet."
Sewell is dancing in the memory of her cousin Robert Sargent Shriver, the first director of the Peace Corps who had Alzheimer's and passed away in 2011.
"I just think it's one of those miserable diseases that is just wicked. It's just brutal to the families it affects, so if you can do something, you should, especially if it's fun," Sewell said. "This is a fun way to do it, and everybody has a good time, which is what it really comes down to.
