Volunteers with the West Virginia chapter of the Alzheimer's Association are planning this year's "Cocktails for a Cause: Ronald Reagan Birthday Bash".
The event is scheduled for Saturday, Feb. 4 from 8-10 p.m. At the Boulevard Tavern in Charleston.
This is the fifth year for the fundraiser, which raises awareness for Alzheimer's Disease. "We want people to come out, we want people to be aware, and know that it does affect over 48,000 West Virginians and there are over 100,000 caregivers that could one day be them, so it's very important for them to know about Alzheimer's," said Kaarmin Ford.
The event is called the "Cocktails for a Cause: Ronald Reagan Birthday Bash" because President Reagan, born February 6, 1911, started a revolution in 1983 by kicking off the first awareness campaign for Alzheimer's disease.
He recognized the enormous need for awareness and research funding so he proclaimed November as National Alzheimer's Disease Month, according to the Alzheimer's association website. Since then, the number of individuals facing the disease rose from 2 million Americans to more than 5 million, including 48,000 here in West Virginia.
President Reagan was one of the first public figures to openly discuss being diagnosed with Alzheimer's.
Saturday's event at the Boulevard Tavern will include drink specials and hors d'oeuvres. There will be door prizes and a 50-50 drawing, and Bob Thompson will provide live music.
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