Picture of my beloved grandma Theresa Gonzales, or simply, “Oma”
This is my fifth year participating in BvB! I am coming back to the leadership team, TnT (The Neutral Team), aka the board jr. I am Athletic Director - Football Operations for the TnT vertical.
I've had an unforgettable experience these last four years. As a group, we raised $511,124 in 2022 to help further fund research for Alzheimer’s disease. It's amazing to see how many people are involved in this organization.
We raise funds by hosting fun events, volunteering at nursing homes, holding weekly flag football practices, and attending lectures that showed the type of research our beneficiaries worked on through the money we raised in the prior years. This organization has become a part of my family; we truly care for one another and have one mission: tackling Alzheimer's disease. #TwoTeams #OneDream
What inspired me to join the organization was the progress this organization has made toward Alzheimer’s research. My grandmother, Theresa Gonzales, or simply “Oma,” passed away 4 years ago from her fight with Alzheimer’s. She had fought the disease for over 15+ years. I can’t even begin to explain how sweet, caring, friendly, and amazing a person she was. Those memories of her will never be forgotten, and I always felt so loved.
She always made sure that if anyone came over to her house, she was always welcomed and left with a full stomach. Her enchiladas were the best in all of San Antonio. Seeing someone you care about so much was a struggle, not remembering her kids, grandchildren, and everyone around her.
We must stop this debilitating disease! So many lives have been affected, and every dollar we raise for this organization goes to some amazing beneficiaries. I have a personal goal of raising $3,000 for this year.
Our season ends with an intense game of Powerpuff flag football at the historic Cotton Bowl. Everyone practices hard for about 10 practices throughout the summer.
I feel blessed to participate with this organization and love everything it stands for, helping fundraise to fight against Alzheimer’s disease.
What is BvB, you might ask? BvB Dallas is a young professional organization that hosts a powder-puff football game for a day of fun, fellowship, philanthropy, and enjoyment as a way of raising money for Alzheimer’s research and awareness.
Founded by sisters whose father had Alzheimer’s, BvB is a personal way for young professionals across the country to raise awareness, funds, and support to TACKLE ALZHEIMER'S FOREVER.
Where will your donation go?
It will be going DIRECTLY to those living with, affected by, and/or helping those with it! As well as research on further treatments/cures.
Below is a breakdown of the Beneficiaries we support last year and where the funds raised will go.
BvB Beneficiaries:
1) Alzheimer's Association:
BvB Dallas supports the Alzheimer's Association as they seek to start the “Healthy Brain Initiative” by creating a network of Hispanic women empowered with the knowledge to influence the health outcomes of their communities. They will recruit and grow their network of volunteers to reach the maximum number of Hispanic women focusing on informal education to increase awareness of modifiable risk factors within the Hispanic-American community. They also wish to identify new opportunities for community collaboration with organizations serving the Hispanic community and to work alongside one another to determine the dementia-related needs of the community.
2) Center for Brain Health: the University of Texas at Dallas
BvB Dallas will continue its partnership with the Center for BrainHealth with a new program called “PAUSE to Thrive When Facing a Diagnostic.” After the world shifted to remote, online, and hybrid services in the last few years, the Center for BrainHealth offers an online platform to deliver the Discovery program reformatted for online audiences and renamed “PAUSE to Thrive.” This program will communicate critical areas proven to support a positive path, with the acronym PAUSE encapsulating five key concepts – Purpose, Acceptance, Understanding, Support, and Energy. “PAUSE to Thrive” training modules will include science-based concepts, action items, and other elements of our traditional Discovery Group.
3.) Center for Vital Longevity at UT Dallas
BvB Dallas is excited to partner with the Center for Vital Longevity at UT Dallas by supporting their study to investigate neural selectivity as a potential biomarker for Alzheimer’s disease. The findings could support the proposal that neural selectivity is sensitive to brain changes associated with Alzheimer’s disease and suggests that one cause of cognitive impairment in very early stages is a breakdown in the brain’s ability to represent information at sufficiently high levels of precision.
4.) Juliette Fowler Communities:
BvB Dallas has supported Juliette Fowler Communities for two years now. This year’s funding will extend their previous Dementia-Friendly Dallas Program called “I’m Still Here.” The “I’m Still Here” program philosophy will train people to increase their personal awareness and recognize signs of dementia in those around them. Individuals served could include Fowler residents, family members, and individuals living with Alzheimer’s in the greater Dallas community. This will allow participants to offer compassionate assistance that maintains dignity for those suffering from dementia while allowing them to feel heard, included, and thrive.
5.) The Senior Source:
BvB Dallas will continue to support the Senior Source via the Guardianship Program, through which the agency is appointed guardian of older adults deemed incapacitated by the Dallas County Probate Courts. All Guardianship Program clients have some cognitive impairment, with roughly 50% having a dementia diagnosis. Guardians make decisions pertaining to healthcare, medication, housing, and any other needed supportive services.
6.) UT Southwestern, Medical Center:
BvB Dallas will continue to partner with UT Southwestern Medical Center by funding the Clinical Neuropsychology Alzheimer’s Disease Fellowship, which provides the opportunity to rapidly develop expertise in differential diagnosis and treatment of dementia. BvB will also support UT Southwestern's research to diagnose and treat Alzheimer’s disease by optimizing and validating techniques to deliver human tau antibodies across the blood-brain barrier in patients with Alzheimer’s disease.
Thanks for reading my story. Would you please donate to this impactful cause? If you cannot, you can still help by spreading the word or the link, an act that I would be eternally grateful for.
You can donate directly through my give butter account or send Venmo @Bobby-Miller-32 anything you would like to have written on your donation please put in the Venmo.
If you're interested in learning more about the organization or want to join, click here https://www.bvbdallas.org/join
