ALZHEIMER’S
how to play about five years ago after learning that Debbie’s father had played it. He has since restored his deceased father-in-law’s guitar.
For Goode, hosting a bluegrass concert with fellow musicians was a logical choice, then, to celebrate the Alzheimer’s Association newest fundraiser, the Longest Day.
For the past three years on the summer solstice — the longest day of the year — chapters throughout the country have invited people to participate in or lead an activity they enjoy to honor a caregiver, someone battling Alzheimer’s or a loved one who has died from the disease — all while collecting donations.
Marking the solstice and fundraising efforts, Goode and others will perform from 7 to 9 p.m. Wednesday at Dixon Quarry Pavilion, Industrial Center Drive, in Obetz. The concert is free.
The event is one of more than 75 taking place in Columbus on Wednesday and throughout this week for the Longest Day, said Meredith Harrison, assistant director of development for the central Ohio chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association.
People are hosting bowling tournaments, bridge games and bike rides to name a few of the activities, she said. One woman is reading all day to honor her librarian grandmother. A local assisted-living facility is hosting a “rock-athon” featuring people in rocking chairs.
“People are really only limited by their imagination,” Harrison said.
As an avid cyclist, Bill Streetman knew he wanted to host a bike ride in honor of his father, William, who died at age 77 in 2005, six years after his Alzheimer’s diagnosis.
Streetman and his son Andrew, both of Westerville — along with some friends — rode 118 miles around central Ohio on Saturday and Sunday as a way to participate in the Longest Day. They dubbed their event Ride Around the Clock.
Watching his father’s brilliant mind deteriorate because of Alzheimer’s was terribly difficult, said Bill Streetman.
Although he grew up poor in the South and in a family that included no high school graduates, William Streetman obtained two master’s degrees and worked in automotive design.
“Alzheimer’s — all minds are worthwhile no matter how welltrained — but when it struck someone who could teach calculus 30 years after he learned it and then he couldn’t remember where he lived, it was devastating,” said Bill Streetman, 61. “With Alzheimer’s, you lose the person before you actually lose the person.”
Andrew Streetman, 33, didn’t hesitate to join his father on the ride. He experienced firsthand how Alzheimer’s affected his grandfather — and his caregivers — when William came to live with their family for four months in 2002.
“He was someone I always looked up to,” Andrew Streetman said.
The father-son duo hope to make the bike ride an annual event that includes other cyclists. They want the ride to celebrate togetherness and provide comfort to those families dealing with the disease.
In fact, the name for the Longest Day fundraiser comes from the unending support that caregivers offer their loved ones with Alzheimer’s, Harrison said.
“It originated from the slogan: Every day is the longest day when caring for someone with Alzheimer’s,” Harrison said. “It’s a great way to honor those who are affected by the disease.”
Although the Longest Day is still a relatively new grass-roots effort, Harrison said, the central Ohio chapter has seen nearly a 30 percent increase in participation from last year. Chapter officials hope that funds raised exceed the $60,000 collected in 2016.
With roughly 214,000 people older than 64 suffering from the disease and 597,000 caregivers in central Ohio — these figures jump to more than 5 million and 15 million, respectively, nationwide — it’s not difficult to see the fundraiser catching on, especially given the ease of participation, Harrison added.
“It’s the future of fundraising. It’s really DIY, and you can take what you love and turn it into a fundraiser.”
Even a housewarming party can count toward the Longest Day.
Kasey and Steve Jones moved recently to Pickerington and, on Saturday, will host friends and family to their new residence complete with a cookout, backyard games and celebratory drinks.
However, guests will be asked to work on crossword and jigsaw puzzles in honor of Kasey’s maternal grandmother, Edith Hornberger, who died in 2009. Anyone inclined to bring a housewarming gift has been asked to donate to her Longest Day campaign instead.
“It’s a super-easy event to be involved in,” said Kasey Jones, 38.
Plus, she said, the Longest Day can have more meaning than a walk or other traditional fundraiser.
“This gives me an opportunity to explain who my grandmother was and what she liked to do. It’s a chance to give her to other people.”
Goode said the fundraiser is a way for him and his wife to raise money for research “to try to understand this monster.”
“And that’s what it feels like — a monster,” Goode said.
He’s equally thrilled to be able to use his bluegrass concert to give back to the local Alzheimer’s Association chapter that has provided the couple with support-group meetings, educational opportunities and respite care.
Debbie Goode attends events there several times a month, including an art class. Before her diagnosis, she wasn’t interested in art — “I didn’t think I could paint,” she said — but now she looks forward to the creative outlet.
“It’s one of the only days she can remember,” Bill Goode said. “My living room has turned into an art gallery.”