Alzheimer's Foundation of America
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About AFA

AFA Junior Committee

When Alex and Chris Barnet were growing up on Long Island, their friends always mixed company with the brothers' grandfather, George R. Irvin. With George at the lead, the group would go out to dinner or play golf together.

“He was one of the guys,” recalled Alex Barnet, owner of Carteret Title Agency, LLC, New York. Now, the Barnets' friends—and other young professionals—have been gathering for more than merely social intentions: they make up the Alzheimer's Foundation of America (AFA) Junior Committee, which is dedicated to ensuring that young adults play an active role in raising awareness of a disease that primarily affects the elderly.

The Barnets founded the AFA Junior Committee in 2004 as a tribute to their grand-father, who was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease in 2002. The committee kicked off its formation with a fundraising event in New York City in September 2004, attracting hundreds of young adults and successfully raising funds to support AFA's care-focused programs and services nationwide.

According to Alex Barnet, it was natural to turn to their childhood friends to help build the Junior Committee. “They've seen what Alzheimer's disease has done to a man who was once so full of life, so they understand what other families across America are going through,” he said.

“It's important for younger generations to carry forth AFA's commitment to care for people with this devastating disease,” he added.

Building on its initial success, the AFA Junior Committee has continued to host annual cocktail receptions in New York City, and since it has established Junior Committees in other cities—Chicago, Dallas, Palm Beach, Los Angeles and Nashville. Look for Junior Committee events in all of these cities in 2008.

Click here to contact the AFA Junior Committee

Click here to view photos from the 3rd Annual For the Love of George-New York

Click here to view photos from the 1st Annual For the Love of George-Chicago