Humans of Dementia storytelling contest

ACP joins Hilarity for Charity and other partners for national storytelling contest

Entry deadline extended to April 1.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE / Nov. 11, 2019

Contact:
Humans of Dementia, info@hilarityforcharity.org, 203-883-1380

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Hilarity for Charity, a national Alzheimer’s non-profit organization founded by Seth Rogen and Lauren Miller Rogen, with support from AARP, Generations United, Memory Well, and Associated Collegiate Press and National Scholastic Press Association, is sponsoring Humans of Dementia: An Intergenerational Storytelling Contest.

The goal of the contest is for high school and college students to produce the best 750-word profile of a loved one who is living with or who has passed from Alzheimer’s disease or another dementia.

High-school and college students from across the United States and Canada are invited to submit story profiles to Humans of Dementia, beginning Nov. 1, 2019, by going to https://hilarityforcharity.org/humansofdementia. 

Submission deadline is March 13, 2020. Top national winners will be honored in June 2020. 

“HFC is proud to sponsor Humans of Dementia and partner with our colleagues to engage young people using storytelling,” said Bonnie Wattles, HFC executive director, said. “In keeping with HFC’s mission, this program activates young people to tell their stories, spread awareness, and de-stigmatize dementia and aging. Inspiring intergenerational conversations and preserving the stories of loved ones is hoped to bring a sense of healing and comfort and shed light on the experience of Alzheimer’s Disease and dementia.” 

Sarah Lenz Lock, senior vice president for policy & brain gealth for AARP, said she is excited about the program’s potential. 

“Humans of Dementia is a great way to promote intergenerational sharing and understanding,” she said. “Great journalism has the power to keep the story and essence of a person’s lifetime shining brightly for others to see, even if that person’s own memories begin to fade.” 

“Humans of Dementia will bridge generations and build understanding between age groups,” Donna Butts, executive director of Generations United, said. “We are proud to be partnering with groups committed to elevating the individual lives and stories of those living with dementia and creating an opportunity for younger and older people to connect.” 

“Everyone has a story to tell,” Jay Newton-Small, CEO of Memory Well, said, “but not everyone can tell it. 

“By tasking young writers to tell the stories of those who are losing their memories or of those who have completely lost them, we’re helping preserve those memories while helping a younger generation understand the wisdom of their elders,” she said.

About Hilarity for Charity

Founded in 2012 by Seth Rogen and Lauren Miller Rogen, Hilarity for Charity is a national non-profit organization dedicated to raising awareness, inspiring change, and accelerating progress in Alzheimer’s care, prevention, research, and support. 

To date, the organization has been host to nine variety shows and one celebrity-filled carnival bringing people together to laugh in the face of Alzheimer’s and raising more than $11 million dollars. “The 2018 LA Variety Show,” streaming on Netflix, brought HFC to a global audience. 

Since 2015, HFC has since awarded over 270,000 hours of free in-home care to Alzheimer’s family caregivers to give them much-needed relief. HFC organizes online support groups to build community and connectivity, engages young people across the country to become Alzheimer’s advocates, and funds cutting-edge brain health and prevention research. Join us in the fight against Alzheimer’s. While there isn’t a cure, there is care.

About the contest partners

AARP

AARP is the nation’s largest nonprofit, nonpartisan organization dedicated to empowering people 50 and older to choose how they live as they age. With a nationwide presence and nearly 38 million members, AARP strengthens communities and advocates for what matters most to families: health security, financial stability and personal fulfillment. AARP also produces the nation’s largest circulation publications: AARP The Magazine and AARP Bulletin. 

Follow @AARP and @AARPadvocates.

MemoryWell
MemoryWell is a digital platform for senior storytelling. Through our network of over 600 professional writers, MemoryWell uses the power of narrative to improve care for people living with Alzheimer’s and dementia by telling their life stories. We’ve been featured in the Washington Post, CBS Evening News and on NPR, and we are telling new stories every single day.

Generations United

For three decades, Generations United’s mission has been to improve the lives of children, youth and older adults through intergenerational collaboration, public policies and programs for the enduring benefit of all. We have been the catalyst for policies and practices stimulating cooperation and collaboration among generations, evoking the vibrancy, energy and sheer productivity that result when people of all ages come together. We believe that we can only be successful in the face of our complex future if generational diversity is regarded as a national asset and fully leveraged.

National Scholastic Press Association
Associated Collegiate Press

Through education, training and recognition programs for members, NSPA and ACP promote the standards and ethics of good journalism as accepted and practiced by print, broadcast and electronic media in the United States.

The associations advance student journalism and media by connecting students, advisers and professionals through programming, competitions and critiques across the nation.