MetLife and GHR Foundations Awarded for Decades of Alzheimer’s Research Support

Last week, the Alzheimer’s Association gave much-deserved recognition to a pair of not-for-profit foundations for their dedication in supporting biomedical research on Alzheimer’s Disease. The Association selected the MetLife Foundation and GHR Foundation to receive the Jerome H. Stone Philanthropy Award for Alzheimer’s Research, which was awarded during this year’s Alzheimer’s Association International Conference (AAIC 2015) in Washington, D.C last Sunday, July 19. President and CEO A. Dennis White received the award for MetLife, while company strategic consultant Fred Miller received the award for GHR.

For over 30 years, the MetLife Foundation has actively supported Alzheimer’s research and public information programs, pledging over $32 million, excluding another $17 million through Awards for Medical Research. The Foundation has also shown its support for several other endeavors for Alzheimer’s disease, such as:

• the PBS documentary “The Forgetting: A Portrait of Alzheimer’s;”
• short pocket films on Alzheimer’s narrated by David Hyde-Pierce;
• the film “Alzheimer’s Disease: Facing the Facts;”
• Alzheimer’s toolkits; and
• resources for the Hispanic community.

The GHR Foundation was founded in 1965 by Gerald and Henrietta Rauenhorst, and has committed itself to promote improvements in health, education and global development through its own efforts and by forming partnerships with some of the world’s most acclaimed medical experts. GHR has also actively supported the Alzheimer’s Association for the past 3 decades. It is also committed to support the National Plan to Address Alzheimer’s Disease to prevent and treat the condition by 2025. GHR has pledged $17 million over 5 years to research programs, and is currently funding some of the most expansive prevention efforts in the field, such as:

• Mayo Clinic Study of Aging;
• Dominantly Inherited Alzheimer’s Network Trials Unit study;
• Anti-Amyloid Treatment in Asymptomatic Alzheimer’s Disease Study; and
• Apolipoprotein E gene (APOE) haplotypes study.

“With the support of GHR Foundation and MetLife Foundation we have made extraordinary advancements in Alzheimer’s research, care and support,” said Harry Johns, president and CEO of the Alzheimer’s Association. “This year, these two exceptional foundations are being honored–a testament to the impact people and organizations as a whole can have in the fight against Alzheimer’s. The generosity expressed through the philanthropic efforts of these foundations has led to numerous new programs and resources that support Alzheimer’s researchers and those impacted by the disease. On behalf of the Alzheimer’s Association, I sincerely thank MetLife and the GHR Foundation for all they have done in this area.”