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 2024, we’ll be spotlighting a different volunteer from our Chapter each day. Today we are featuring…
ANTINETTA SUMMERS
CHARLOTTE, NC
What brought you to volunteer with the Alzheimer’s Association?
Like so many people, I lost both of my parents to this horrible disease. I lost my mother in 2017, and my father in 2019. I have 3 older sisters, and we were able to work together to keep my parents in their home. Two of my sisters lived with them and cared for them daily. My mother lived with it for 8 years, and my father for 3 years. It was a very difficult time for my family. If you have been personally touched by Alzheimer’s, the grief and loss associated with watching a loved one slowly slip away is life-changing, which led to my desire to join the Alzheimer’s Association as a volunteer.
What volunteer role(s) do you have with the Association?
Last year, I had the pleasure of being invited to the Annual Charlotte Memory Gala, and this year, I decided to join the Memory Gala planning committee.
What do you enjoy most about your volunteer role?
I enjoy educating the community about all of the resources that the Association has for those living with Alzheimer’s and the support it provides for caregivers and their families.
What piece of your role do you feel makes the biggest impact?
I feel I can make the biggest impact by making relationships with members of the community that will translate into creating dedicated donors and volunteers for the Association.
If someone were considering volunteering with the Association, what would you say to them?
I would share my testimony with them and explain to them how valuable their help would be to further the cause of eradicating Alzheimer’s and all other forms of dementia. I would also express how the fundraising from the Memory Gala helps local families and caregivers get much needed support. It has been such a rewarding experience for me, and I know it will be for them, too!
THANK YOU, ANTINETTA
Volunteers truly help move our mission forward. Interested in becoming a volunteer with the Alzheimer’s Association in NC?
Visit alz.org/volunteer or call 800-272-3900.
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