Benchmark National Team Raises Nearly $80,000 for Alzheimer’s Association
November 20, 2018
WALTHAM, MA–Benchmark, a leading provider of senior housing in the Northeast, today announced that 44 individual teams representing Benchmark senior care communities raised nearly $80,000 by participating in the 2018 Alzheimer’s Association Walk to End Alzheimer’s, which raises funds and awareness for care, support and research. Known collectively as the Benchmark National Team, the participants were residents and associates, many of whom have been walking to raise funds for the Association for years. Together they exceeded their 2018 goal to raise $75,000.
Although Benchmark communities have been longtime supporters of the Alzheimer’s Association, this was the first year they participated as a National Team, emphasizing a commitment to providing support for the growing numbers of individuals and families affected by Alzheimer’s and other memory disorders. Today, an estimated 5.7 million Americans are living with Alzheimer’s, not to mention the millions of families and caregivers involved in supporting those with the disease. It is now the sixth leading cause of death in the United States.
Edgehill community in Stamford, CT, raised over $27,000 and took home the trophy for the most funds raised by a Benchmark community. Team Edgehill worked feverishly to secure a number of individual and business donations, boosting their overall support.
“Every year our associates, residents and family members look forward to the Walks, to connecting with one another over a cause that matters and to participating in something that can transform lives,” said Tom Grape, chairman and CEO of Benchmark. “I am continually inspired by the desire of so many to walk and raise funds to help eradicate this devastating disease. Benchmark is proud to be a National Team, and we look forward to increasing our annual participation and contribution to this important cause.”
Grape founded Benchmark in 1997, and the company today operates 58 senior living communities offering independent living, assisted living, Alzheimer’s care and skilled nursing in Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and Vermont. In 2018, Benchmark was certified as a Great Place to Work by the Great Place to Work Institute and became the first senior living organization and only the fifth Massachusetts-based company to receive Certified Age Friendly Employer (CAFE) designation from RetirementJobs.com.