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real-Life Learning
Hebrew Day School students champion
Alzheimer's disease research.
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28 December 10 2015
EQUAL
E
very year Carol Gannon, the
fifth-grade teacher at Hebrew
Day School of Ann Arbor,
teaches her students about philanthropy
through a yearlong project that begins
with an application for grant funding
from the Ann Arbor Area Community
Foundation. This year, the Michigan
Alzheimer's Disease Center (MADC) was
the beneficiary of this project.
In October 2014, the Hebrew Day
School's Student Council emailed
Michelle Davis, the associate director
of development for neuroscience at the
University of Michigan, inquiring about
making a gift to Alzheimer's research
at U-M. A class vote to determine the
recipient of their fundraising efforts
yielded a tie between the MADC and
Mott Children's Hospital. After further
consideration, the MADC won the final
vote and partnered with the fifth-grade
students for nearly seven months.
At the end of January 2015, Kristin
Cahill, MADC's former education and
outreach coordinator, visited their class
and talked about how Alzheimer's disease
impacts the brain and one's cognitive
abilities. She also told of strategies for
communicating with adults with demen-
tia and the latest research findings. The
students asked insightful questions and
shared their personal stories about family
members living with memory loss.
In the beginning of March, the stu-
dents successfully applied for the $100
mini-grant given out by the Ann Arbor
Area Community Foundation Youth
Council. By March 31, the students had
turned their $100 into more than $1,000
through numerous fundraising events
and a letter-writing campaign soliciting
matching donations.
On April 28, Cahill and Davis attended
the Mini Grant Reception at Eberwhite
Elementary School. Gannon's fifth-
grade class presented Cahill and Davis
with a $1,437.55 gift to support MADC
research.
These remarkable students from the
Hebrew Day School were the only group
to use their Mini Grant as seed money
Students work to extract DNA from cells.
to raise additional funds. The students
spoke eloquently of their fundraising
experience and their support for the fight
against Alzheimer's disease.
To thank the students for their gift,
the MADC arranged for the students to
tour Dr. Sami Barmada's lab at the U-M
Biomedical Science Research Building,
which focuses on the overlap between
amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and
dementia. The students did more than
just look at lab benches. Barmada and
his lab arranged for them to actually
participate in science. They assisted in
DNA extraction, saw a spinal cord sec-
tion under a dissection microscope and
witnessed the "firing" of cells under a
microscope.
The students followed up with many
letters of thanks to the MADC.
As an educator, I believe strongly
in the importance of teaching children
about philanthropy:' Gannon says.
"Over this past year, the Ann Arbor
Community Foundation's Youth Council
and the Michigan Alzheimer's Disease
Center have given us the priceless oppor-
tunity to do just that. They expanded the
walls of our classroom by infusing real
world experiences into this project, and
watching this unfold has been incredibly
rewarding:'
MADC Director Henry Paulson, M.D.
Ph.D. said, "This was a wonderful experi-
ence, as much for our center as it was
for Ms. Gannon's students. Seeing them
so engaged in the scientific process as
they visited Dr. Barmada's lab was a true
highlight!" *
The MADC
Member
FDIC
The Michigan Alzheimer's Disease Center values opportunities to educate and
partner with new groups in the community. In addition to educating various com-
munity organizations, the MADC conducts and supports innovative research into
the causes and treatment of Alzheimer's disease and other dementias, and provides
wellness programs for those with memory loss and the people who care for them.
For more information about the MADC, see www.alzheimers.med.umich.edu .