As someone who works with those in the accounting profession but isn't an accountant herself, I was honored when I was asked to join the Accounting Industry Leadership Council. I'm also someone who has been personally touched by Alzheimer's. My grandfather (Da), pictured above with me (on the right) and my sister, was a wonderful man who loved us so much. It was hard to watch him slowly decline over time until his death in 1991. That was the same year I graduated from college – the first in my family to do so – and he was in the audience to witness the occasion with a broad smile on his face. Later, as my family and those of my roommates gathered at our tiny apartment to celebrate, we noticed that Da was nowhere to be seen. It turns out he was worried about mowing the grass and decided to walk home to do so. Never mind that it was nearly 500 miles away. My father found him a half mile down the road. Six months later, he and my grandmother died in a car accident when he got confused, pulled to the side of the Interstate, then promptly pulled back into the left lane where a truck ran into them at full speed on Christmas Eve. Even now, more than 30 years later, Christmas is still a time for sadness and loss, not the joyous celebration it should be. 

While Da may have inspired me to take on this fundraising initiative, I also do so for many others who suffer from this disease and those of us who fear it could be a part of our future. I want to encourage anyone reading this to make a donation, no matter how small. If you can, I'd love to have you on my team, or to have you create your own with me as well. I'll be participating in the Atlanta Walk to End Alzheimer's on November 2 and would love to have you join me for this occasion. (Don't worry, we will be taking it slow!) And please share this with your friends, family, colleagues, and anyone else who can help support this effort. 

I appreciate anything you can do and look forward to meeting the lofty goal of $10,000 I have set. Let's do this!