2018 Walk to Fight Alzheimer’s In Point Pleasant Beach

Congressman Chris Smith and hundreds of family members and supporters of Alzheimer’s patients were in Point Pleasant Beach for the 2018 Walk to Fight Alzheimer’s, hosted by Alzheimer’s New Jersey, on Saturday.

The group’s president and CEO Kenneth Zaentz, Mayor Steve Reid and other leaders were also present to kick off the walk.

Teams of walkers raised money for Alzheimer’s New Jersey’s services for local Alzheimer’s patients and their caregivers; 100 percent of the funds raised at the walk will support these services.

Below are excerpts of Rep. Smith’s remarks at the event:

“By walking, you not only raise critical funds for Alzheimer’s disease, but you also bring visibility, you mobilize and you prioritize efforts to mitigate, and someday cure, this dreaded disease. You also bring hope and a strong sense of solidarity with patients, family, and friends.

“By way of background, in 1998, I a New Jersey Republican, along with Congressman Ed Markey, a Massachusetts Democrat, founded the Congressional Alzheimer’s Caucus. I, to this day, chair the Alzheimer’s Caucus. We now have 181 members.

“The big breakthrough came in 2011, when we passed the National Alzheimer’s Project Act. It not only created an advisory committee for a whole-of-government approach, but it also created a national strategy with a goal of finding a cure, or a disease-modifying therapy, by 2025. The impact has been profound. Research scholars at NIH, we got them to $600 million in 2015. We tripled it to $1.8 billion this year, 2018, and in 2019, it'll go to $2.3 billion, which is a 400 percent increase in just five years.

“Your voice has been heard. Have hope"

Photo courtesy of Alzheimer's New Jersey