On Sunday, October 22^nd, Olympic gold and silver medalist Laurie Hernandez was in Methuen, Massachusetts at Interstate Gymnastics and Dance, helping to raise donations for Wellesley-based nonprofit Cure Alzheimer’s Fund.

The event was a part of an ongoing series with Hernandez called Gymnastic Funtastic with Laurie Hernandez.  Young gymnasts from across the region raised donations for Cure Alzheimer’s Fund in order to win special prizes with the Dancing with the Stars champion, which included the opportunity to attend a clinic with Hernandez, take a selfie with her, and get her autograph. At a Q&A session, the participants all had the chance to hear her describe the road to the Olympics and how she deals with injury and adversity.

At the event, Hernandez was joined by her mother Wanda Hernandez, who spoke of the importance of raising money to find a cure for Alzheimer’s disease.  In November 2016, just a few months after she won gold and silver at the Rio Olympic Games, Laurie’s grandmother Brunhilda Hernandez passed away from the disease.  Since then, she has spoken publicly about the sadness she experienced because of her grandmother’s death and over the past year, Hernandez has dedicated herself to bringing awareness to the disease.

Barbara Chambers, Cure Alzheimer’s Fund’s Senior Engagement Officer for Marketing & Communications, was on hand to greet Hernandez as well as spend a few minutes talking about the disease and Cure Alzheimer’s Fund’s work providing research dollars to scientists searching for a cure to the young men and women who helped to raise money for the organization.  Just last week, the fund was named by Good Housekeeping Magazine as one of the best charities to give to right now. In total, $8,000 was raised for the organization at the Gymnastic Funtastic event.

Cure Alzheimer’s Fund is a non-profit dedicated to funding the most promising research to prevent, slow or reverse Alzheimer’s disease. Since its founding in 2004, Cure Alzheimer’s Fund has contributed over $55 million to research, and its funded initiatives have been responsible for several key breakthroughs – including the groundbreaking “Alzheimer’s in a Dish” study. Cure Alzheimer’s Fund has received a perfect score of 100 percent regarding its overall financial health from Charity Navigator and a four star rating from the organization for five consecutive years. With 100 percent of funds raised going directly to research, Cure Alzheimer’s Fund has been able to support some of the best scientific minds in the field of Alzheimer’s research. For more information, please visit http://www.curealz.org/.