 *Players Rachel Dender, Leizl Montecillo & Virginia Lei are inducted into the 2017 TackleALZ NYC Hall of Fame for raising over $10,000 in their careers by Honorary Coaches and former NFL players, Jude Waddy, Bobby Sewall & Noah Burroughs and CaringKind staff Jed Levine and Candace Douglas.*
Over the first weekend in May, more than 100 athletes donned the CaringKind colors to raise an impressive $200,000 in support of New Yorkers affected by Alzheimer’s and dementia.
May is always a big month for CaringKind’s Athletes to End Alzheimer’s™ (ATEA) team with our annual TackleALZ NYC game and the TD Five Boro Bike Tour. This year, fate aligned to have both events fall on the first weekend of the month, with ATEA fans being able to take in a nail-bitingly close flag football game, followed less than 12 hours later by our fantastic athletes dominating the car free streets of all five boroughs of New York City on their bikes.
First up on Saturday, the pumped-up players of the BruCrew were vying for a repeat victory over the determined Blondetourage. In the months leading up to the game, both teams had held multiple practices, ran countless routes and rallied together for several fundraisers, all leading up to Gameday. For all that work, the audience was rightfully treated to the best game in the seven-year history of the event. Every single play counted, with the lights coming up on the field in the third quarter to match the mounting intensity.
After a hotly contested but fair game, the Blondetourage pulled off their second win in the series over the BruCrew with a final score of 38-30. And while that milestone was celebrated, all the players, past and present of TackleALZ NYC should hold their heads high because this seventh game in the series marked a cumulative fundraising total of over $1,000,000 for this event!
The excitement of Saturday night’s TackleALZ NYC game must have chased the rain away, because Sunday morning dawned sunny and perfect for the dozen cyclists riding in the TD Five Boro Bike Tour for CaringKind. Team members represented five states, one to echo each borough they would touch throughout the day. As the team gathered Sunday morning in Manhattan, everyone paused to reflect on why they joined CaringKind’s team. Many had experienced the loss of a loved one to Alzheimer’s or dementia. Some were thinking about the people they are actively caring for at home. Before the starting horn was blown, every team member secured their helmets, knowing that the 40 miles they committed to riding would put us one step closer to a community committed to helping anyone affected by an Alzheimer’s or dementia diagnosis.
Left: The 2017 TackleALZ NYC Players and Coaches
Right: TD Five Boro Bike Tour Team
At the close of an exhausting, but exhilarating weekend, a round of thanks were due to the community of Athletes to End Alzheimer’s who got May off to an excellent start, raising awareness and funds while testing themselves physically on fields and roads across our great city. Your efforts are always seen, heard and felt by all those on this Alzheimer’s journey.
Interested in joining CaringKind’s Athletes to End Alzheimer’s™ team for the TCS NYC Marathon or another event? Visit www.caringkindnyc.org/athletes or contact athletes@caringkindnyc.org.