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The Alzheimer’s Association, Orange County Chapter today announced the formation of the Visionary Women’s Leadership Circle, a new membership group chartered to engage women in the community to help expand awareness of Alzheimer’s disease, the fourth leading cause of death in Orange County, through education, advocacy and raising funds to support the essential services and programs that are delivered to local families at no cost.
The Leadership Circle empowers women to raise the level of concern about Alzheimer’s disease in our community and help raise funds for quality care and critical research.
Currently, more than 66,000 Orange County residents are affected by memory loss disorders, a number expected to double by 2030.
“We are deeply honored to have these powerful and dedicated women at the helm,” said Jim McAleer, CEO, Alzheimer’s Association, Orange County Chapter. “Their extraordinary commitment and energy is vital in our mission to reach into our community to ensure that everyone touched by this disease is aware of the multitude of resources we have available.”
The Leadership Circle is chaired by Kirsten Mangers, CEO of WebVisible, the leading international name in local online advertising. She is a passionate supporter of the Alzheimer’s Association after personally experiencing the heartache of the disease with members of her own family.
The founding members of the Leadership Circle include:
• Julia Argyros — Argyros, a prominent and well-respected Orange County philanthropist, is often attributed with making Orange County a better place for all. Her generous spirit has prompted her involvement in countless opportunities to benefit the arts, health care, education and human services. She is married to George Argyros and served with him during his term as Ambassador to Spain.
• Jacqueline DuPont, PhD — DuPont is founder and CEO of DuPont Residential Care, Inc. assisted living homes for seniors, operating locally as Irvine Cottages since 1996. She is a gerontologist, and is well known in the community for her leadership and dedication to the care of older adults.
• Susan Johnson — Johnson is chairman and founder of Susan’s Healthy Gourmet, providing fresh, nutritionally balanced, and calorie-controlled meals that are individually prepared and packaged to order, operating from Irvine since 1996.
• Lauren Kear — Kear began her career, and spent 10 years in social work and nursing home care. This inspired her advocacy on behalf of the elderly, leading to her lobbying work with the Alzheimer’s Association in Sacramento. Kear owned a management-consulting firm in Chicago for 10 years and today, with her husband, formed Kear Enterprises, which holds diverse real estate interests, as well as business interests in several high-tech firms.
• Sandra McDaniel — McDaniel is director of Irvine’s Atria Golden Creek residential community for seniors, and is well versed in the needs of those with and caring for, Alzheimer’s disease.
• Beverly Newton-Redfern — Newton-Redfern owns and operates a management consulting business focused on organizational behavior. She was touched personally in her own family by Alzheimer’s disease, and continues to advocate for the caregiver.
For information on how you can become a member of the Visionary Women’s Leadership Circle, or to learn more about the Visionary Women’s Initiative, please contact Ann McDowell at 949.757.3714.
Meet the founding members of the Leadership Circle, along with more than 400 Visionary Women committed to raising awareness and funds for those affected by Alzheimer’s, at the 2010 Visionary Women Luncheon on September 24, 2010 at the Huntington Waterfront Beach Resort. At the luncheon caregivers who have served as models of compassion in the field of dementia care will be honored and celebrated, including Oscar-winner and caregiver, Olympia Dukakis. Luncheon tickets are available for $100 at alzoc.org, or call 949.955.9000.
About Alzheimer’s Association, Orange County
The Orange County Chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association (alzoc.org) provides a comprehensive suite of programs and services — provided at no charge — to meet myriad and evolving needs of people with Alzheimer’s disease and related disorders, their families, caregivers and the community.
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