We are endlessly grateful to our volunteers for giving their time to better the lives of those impacted by Alzheimer’s and other dementias. Our volunteers are truly the heart of the Alzheimer’s Association here in North Carolina.
In honor of National Volunteer Week 2021, we’ll be spotlighting a different volunteer from our Chapter each day. Today we are featuring…
TEDRICK KELLY
RALEIGH, NC
What brought you to volunteer with the Alzheimer’s Association?
It started with a chance encounter with one of your volunteers that was at a philanthropy event at one of my former employers. It was there that I first learned about the walk. I think I did the walk by myself that year, and each year after that I would bring more and more people along. I created a team for my employer, and the walk became a part of our yearly philanthropy events. I was asked at some point to become a volunteer and help with the event.
What volunteer role(s) do you have with the Association?
Through the years I have been a volunteer on logistics, recruitment and now a chair of the recruitment sub-committee [for the Walk to End Alzheimer’s Planning Committee].
What do you enjoy most about your volunteer role?
I just like playing a role of raising awareness of the disease.
What piece of your role do you feel makes the biggest impact?
I feel like the conversations I have with others have the biggest impact. A lot of times you realize how much you have in common with other people that have had family members affected by this disease. Everyone has a reason why they are fighting the good fight to get this disease under control, and I enjoy hearing those reasons. The family members we have lost or that are currently battling ALZ, fought for us and it is only right we fight just as hard to get this disease under control.
If someone were considering volunteering with the Association, what would you say to them?
Do It! It is that simple, do it. This is an association that you can be proud of supporting because they are doing good work and fighting every day to a cure. We can all celebrate when an effective cure is found.
THANK YOU, TEDRICK!
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