1. We had a wonderful Rotary Literacy Champions Social event organized by LaDonna Wicklund and the I Can Read Songs Project Committee. A big thanks to LaDonna and her committee, and a bigger thanks to Rives and Amber Bird for hosting a beautiful evening party in their home. Rotarians: It was the greatest pleasure for President Usha to meet Rotarians’ awesome spouses and talk to them outside of Rotary! Rives entertained a small group with his wonderful piano-playing! Thank you, Rives! Given the talents of so many of our Club Rotarians, we’re going to have a “Rotary’s Got Talent” program on December 15. So, any among you who are musically-inclined, please let President Usha know!
2. President Usha had the special honor and privilege to recognize our Club Rotarian—and her friend and a valuable mentor within Rotary—on behalf of The Rotary Foundation: Past President and Past Assistant Governor Jody Braverman has made significant contributions to The Rotary Foundation and is being recognized as a Major Donor.

1. Tom Cook: Ponseti Way, the former Ring Road in Iowa River Landing, will be dedicated on Saturday, October 22 prior to the Wisconsin football game. He is also looking for contacts and resources in Mexico City for the vocational training team.

2. Amy Nicholson: Hosts needed for the District 6000 Annual Conference in Iowa City, May 5, 2017.

3. Margaret Reese: Tickets for the Joint Service Club luncheon will be available today and each meeting before October 6. Members must have a ticket to attend the luncheon on October 6 which will be held at the same time and place as the regular Noon Rotary meeting. UI President Bruce Harreld will be the keynote speaker. For more information contact Anna Moyers Stone by email at: Astone@midwestone.com.

4. Trisha Smith, Salvation Army development director thanks the volunteer painters: Brenda LaMarche, Joe Hughes, Tom Cilek, Ryan Bell, Shawn Reineke and Mike Walsh 

5. President Usha- The annual trip to Rotary International headquarters will be on October 28. John Lee and Cyndy Crider are planning the trip.

6. President Usha shared that President-Elect Mike McKay will substitute for her and preside over the Rotary meeting on September 29 when she is away in Omaha.

Dr. Carillo opened her talk by noting that the U.S. and U.K. lead the world in philanthropy and this spirit of philanthropy, embodied in Rotary and in Gary and LaDonna Wicklund inspires her work. The Alzheimer’s Association, located in Chicago, envisions a world without Alzheimer’s. In 2016 there are 5.4 million Americans with Alzheimer’s; it is the 6^th leading cause of death. The total cost of Alzheimer’s is $236 billion in 2016 of which 2/3 is to be borne by Medicare and Medicaid; this cost is projected to be $1.1trillion in 2050. The Alzheimer’s Association provides information and support to patients, caregivers and researchers, advocates for government support for research, and funds research. The Alzheimer’s Association would like to see total funding for Alzheimer’s reach the level of funding for heart disease, cancer and HIV. After development of a National Plan for Alzheimer’s funding has increased significantly since 2012 to a projected level of $1.4 billion in 2017 compared to annual funding of $4 to $6 billion for the other aforementioned major diseases. The Alzheimer’s Association funding complements federal funding and differs somewhat in its approach. The Association can quickly deploy funds with precise targets and a global scope. Federal funding tends to be larger with a breadth of coverage and long term sustainability. The Association has 320 active projects in 21 countries with funding of more than $80 million. The other large funders of Alzheimer’s research around the globe are the National Institutes of Health, the Chinese Health Ministry and the European Union. Carillo noted that the Association works on research related to Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia since often a patient may have several factors contributing to dementia. She described Alzheimer’s as being caused by plaques which may be recognized by the presence of amyloids and tangles which may be recognized by the presence of tau. Biomarkers for amyloids and tau have been found such that brain imaging can show the increased presence of these markers and help diagnose Alzheimer’s. She also described the various levels and schedules of clinical trials for Alzheimer’s treatments. She described the incredible and rapid progress in Alzheimer’s research to date and expressed hope for a world without Alzheimer’s in the foreseeable future. Following Maria’s program, President Usha noted that Maria had spoken at our Club in 2014. In 2015, Maria was featured as a TIME Magazine Hero for serving as a technical consultant for the making of the movie “Still Alice” in which Julianne Moore played the role of a university professor who is diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. Our Club thanks Maria as well as Gary and LaDonna Wicklund and all the Alzheimer’s advocates for their tireless work and dedication!