KA’LEISHA EVANS – National Volunteer Week 2025 Spotlight

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 2025, we’ll be spotlighting a different volunteer from our Eastern North Carolina Chapter each day. Today we are featuring …

Dr. Ka’Leisha Evans
Wake County

What brought you to volunteer with the Alzheimer’s Association?

During my freshman year of college my grandfather Harold Cole was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. At that time, I was unfamiliar with what the diagnosis meant and what resources were out there to assist my family. Later on, I ended up becoming his caregiver while he was at a skilled nursing facility. Due to the time that I spent being his caregiver it prompted my now love and interest in working with the older population who suffer from different forms of dementia. While obtaining my Master of Arts in Aging Service Management from University of Southern California, I learned more about the Alzheimer’s Association and begin donating through the Amazon Smile program. Now that I am back in North Carolina and a graduate of Concordia University- Chicago’s Doctorate of Gerontology program. I want to continue honoring my grandfather and others who suffer from different forms of dementia. 

What volunteer role(s) do you have with the Association?

My volunteer role right now with the Alzheimer’s Association is an advocacy state champion, where I develop relationships with state lawmakers. I am looking forward to also serving as a community educator this year.

What do you enjoy most about your volunteer role?

I enjoy being able to share my grandfather and family’s story, while listening to other families share their stories. I also truly enjoy being an educator and helping family caregivers navigate through the day to day of living with a loved one who suffers from dementia. Another thing that I enjoy is being able to speak to congress and telling the story of the “sandwich effect” that I researched and found to be very detrimental to why certain laws and bills should be approved and passed to help families who deal with ALZ daily. I have found that the “sandwich effect” story allows those in congress to self-examine their own lives in order to truly feel why such conversations around ALZ are needed and important.

What piece of your role do you feel makes the biggest impact?

I think my biggest impact is the fact that I am a researcher and a Gerontologist with years of experience working with dementia patients and families. I feel that my expertise aligns well with the goals of the Association and can help those who may need a little more assistance and understanding. I also believe that statistics moves people, and being an advocate allows me to share the statistics in real life situations to make it more personal for whoever I may be talking to at the time. 

If someone were considering volunteering with the Association, what would you say to them?

DO IT! Even if you are not closely related to the situation of having a loved one diagnosed with ALZ, you may encounter someone one day who does. This allows you to be well diverse in what is going on within the Alzheimer’s Association and the different avenues you too can impact. 

THANK YOU, KA’LEISHA!

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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.