The Dubin Center announces record-breaking results at the 27th annual Brushstrokes from the Soul
In honor of national Alzheimer’s Awareness month, the Dubin Center typically hosts the annual fundraiser in November but due to Hurricane Ian, the event was postponed. The 27th annual Brushstrokes from the Soul event was held on Jan. 26 at the Sidney & Berne Davis Art Center where it was filled to capacity with over 225 community members supporting families living with a dementia related illness. The event highlighted custom framed artwork painted by individuals who are living with the disease here locally and was filled with luminaries in memory of those lost.
The presenting sponsors were Cypress Cove and Cypress at Home and the Honorary Chairs are Dr. and Mrs. Mike Martin, President and First Lady of Florida Gulf Coast University. President Martin shared staggering statistics on the incidence rate in southwest Florida and ways in which FGCU would be supporting seniors and partnering with agencies such as the Dubin Center. Mayor Kevin Anderson attended and shared a moving personal story of his sister who he lost to the disease just two years ago.
“This cause is so important that the venue was filled to capacity where our community we took a night to come together to celebrate incredible artwork, remember the beautiful, accomplished lives of those we have lost and honor the caregivers who love and care so deeply,” said executive director Lynne Thorp. “The Dubin Center has been serving Southwest Florida for 27 years. Our services are free because we know that the first phone call or visit to the center takes courage and is already hard enough and we believe everyone in our community deserves access to our services.”
There are an estimated 80,000 families living with or caring for a person with dementia in southwest Florida, many of whom depend on the support offered by the center. “Our continued support of the Dubin Center echoes our own mission of empowering older adults to age successfully,” said Cypress Living CEO Troy Churchill. “We are proud to be a part of this incredible event and a tremendous resource that helps so many individuals and families in Southwest Florida.”
The event raised just over $115,000 – a record for the Dubin Center.
The Dubin Center is a nonprofit United Way agency assisting families of individuals suffering from dementia in Southwest Florida. Since 1995, The Dubin Center has supported caregivers living with dementia by providing free services such as support groups, one on one consultation, educational trainings and Memory Café. The staff and volunteers of the Dubin Center work to achieve caregiver health, strength, and resilience by providing education, information, hope, and compassion. For more information, visit dubincenter.com, or call 239-437-3007.
Source: Dubin Center