Meet Memory Ball Dancing Stars' David Jonas

A two-year break from hosting an in-person presentation for the Alzheimer's Association's 2022 Memory Ball Dancing Stars ends on Saturday, April 30 when the fundraising gala returns to the Baltimore Marriott Waterfront Hotel. "To say that we're elated to have a live audience is an understatement," says David Jonas, development manager, corporate initiatives at the Greater Maryland Chapter, who manages the event.

Working behind the scene

The Memory Ball is a unique event that mirrors the tv show Dancing with the Stars, with only one other Alzheimer's Association chapter adopting the dance show model. A panel of judges critiques dance performances, awarding the winner the title "Judges' Choice." Dancers earn votes through donations with monetary values equaling the number of votes. The top fundraiser is named "You're Our Star." This year's theme, "Memory Ball Dancing Stars on Broadway," features dances based on Broadway shows. Nine dancers will compete.

His empathy for others developed as a child when his great aunts and uncles told him how they escaped from Europe before the Holocaust as anti-Semitic sentiments swept Europe in the 1930s. "A great aunt and her daughter were unable to escape," he says.

Jonas honed his fundraising skills as an adolescent. "I began volunteering for Walk with Israel at the age of 12 by managing a water station at my temple while growing up in Chicago and participating in the YMCA's swim-a-thon," he says. "Both events raised funds by donating a penny or more for each lap or mile."

As an adult, his fundraising activities include volunteering with The Human Rights Campaign, Chicago Black Tie Dinner, The Chicago Legal AIDS Task Force Spring Affair, The AIDS Walk, Out at Work, and The Chicago Historical Society.

He joined the Alzheimer's Association in 2017, and the following year, the aunt of his husband, Cordell Smith, and Jonas' aunt were both diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease. Jonas' mother received a diagnosis of early-stage Alzheimer's in 2020. "My 90-year-old father, who was her sole caregiver, postponed several needed surgeries to care for my mother, causing him to precede her in death in October 2021," he says. "My mother died two months later."

Of the more than 6 million Americans living with Alzheimer’s and other dementia, more than 110,000 live in Maryland with 242,000 caregivers providing 371,000,000 hours of unpaid care valued at $6,810,000,000.*

On with the show

Months before the gala, Jonas recruits local business leaders to raise funds and step out of their comfort zone to perform a dance routine before an audience of 800 supporters. Each Dancing Star practices with a dance coach to perfect their performance. Past performers include Olympic skater Dorothy Hamill, CNN reporter Omar Jimenez, and WJZ anchor Denise Koch. "Our dancers are passionate about the fight to find a cure and the effort they put in to raise funds and give a good show is evident," says Jonas.

Jonas contacts businesses for sponsorship, with many returning each year. Jonas credits committee members for the success of the gala. Committee members work behind the scene and open the night with a choreographed routine. "Our volunteers are empowered to use and act on their expertise, providing marketing and promotional skills," says Jonas. "They have also been a great resource for asking their friends and colleagues to be dancers, join the committee and sponsor the gala." The payment Jonas receives for his hard work comes the night of the gala. He says, "My favorite part of the evening is when committee members and attendees tell me, 'This is an awesome event!'"

To donate to a dancer or attend Memory Ball, visit act.alz.org/BaltimoreMemoryBall.

*Alzheimer's Association 2022 Alzheimer's Disease Facts and Figures report