BOCA RATON — The American Association of Caregiving Youth (AACY) is extending its deepest appreciation for the gift bestowed upon the organization at the “Times of Your Life” benefit honoring the Alzheimer’s Association held March 5 at St. Andrews Country Club in Boca Raton.
Several of the benefactors present have pledged between four and eight hours of valuable respite to families whose caregiving children form part of AACY’s Caregiving Youth Project (CYP).
While the Times of Your Life Alzheimer’s benefit included the customary fare of cocktails, hors d’oeuvres, dinner and a “Concert Under The Stars,” the evening’s most poignant moments were reserved for the testimony of professionals, advocates and specialists in the field of cognitive impairment, as well as Alzheimer’s sufferers and their caregivers, most notably, the evening’s honorees, Laura and Jay Jones.
Antonio Vilatoro, a member of Caregiving Youth, with WPLG Anchor/Reporter Jason Martinez.
Jay Jones, now 52, was diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer’s at the relatively young age of 49 in 2009. Jones, an affluent local businessman and his wife and caregiver, Laura, have become nationally known advocates in the fight to combat Alzheimer’s. Laura Jones is credited with bringing Early Onset Alzheimer’s to the attention of notable local and national opinion leaders. The Jones’ testimony played a pivotal role in the 2010 decision to grant Compassionate Allowance status to Early Onset Alzheimer’s disease.
The event is the brainchild of co-founders Jill Poser and Sherri A. Greenblatt who each saw the need for professional responsibility, advocacy and philanthropy in their respective fields. Poser is the proprietor of a home safety company. Greenblatt is an attorney specializing in the needs of the elder population. The companies that donated the respite hours include: Advocates on Call, Boca Home Care, Bright Star, Levin Home Care and Whitsyms Nursing Service.
The American Association of Caregiving Youth (AACY) is a Florida based 501 (c) (3) non-profit corporation that began serving the greater Boca Raton community in 1998. Today AACY is the only organization of its kind in the United States addressing the issues surrounding a silent, vulnerable and hidden population of children – conservatively estimated to exceed 1.4 million – who provide care for ill, injured, elderly or disabled family members.