Council Employee Raises Staggering Amount For Charity
Joanne Harrigan, a Community Safety Warden at Caerphilly County Borough Council, has certainly been busy these past four years.
Between fundraising for the Alzheimer’s Society and travelling the world to speak at conferences about the disease, Joanne’s dedication to the charity is definitely something worth recognising.
After losing their mum in 2012 to Familial Alzheimer’s disease and finding out the family also have a 50% chance of developing dementia, Joanne and her family own a charity fund in her mother’s name Sylvia’s Star.
With all the proceeds going to the Alzheimer’s Society and within the four years the charity fund has been set up, a staggering fourteen thousand pounds have been raised through the planning of social nights and family fun days.
Alongside her fundraising Joanne has travelled to America, Canada and Switzerland to attend a number of conferences and deliver speeches about her family struggles and also speak to others who are affected by the rare genes. Some of the conferences she has been to include the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference and ROCHE, an international pharmaceutical company where she was asked to present to a group of researchers.
She said, “Our type of Dementia accounts for less than 1% of all types of the disease but researchers believe that if they find the cure for our small group they will find a cure for all types of Dementia.
She continues, “My family and I hope Sylvia’s Star continues to raise money and support people living with dementia and hopefully lead towards a cure so that my family can live without the fear of developing such an awful disease.”
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