The CART Fund: Pocket Change Into Medical Advances

January 30, 2007: Our guest speaker, Mark Lattanzio, is the current regional coordinator for the Rotary CART Fund. He explained why the pocket change we throw into the “blue buckets” each week is so important. The CART Fund harnesses the bucket money from Rotary clubs in Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina, and funnels it towards research dedicated to finding a cure for Alzheimer’s Disease. The CART Fund was started by a Rotary club in Sumter, SC, in 1995. Since that time it has raised over $1,000,000,00. and has awarded grants in the way $1,350,000.00 towards research.

There is no question that Alzheimer’s Disease has touched many Rotarians in a personal way. Our club was shown an educational video about Alzheimer’s Disease that contained scenes of a Rotarian in Hilton Head who was very dear to the hearts of many, and became ill with the disease.

The CART Fund is unlike other funds because it gives grants to “high risk” and innovative research areas. Applications for a CART Fund grant can be found at www.afar.org/grants.html. A decision is made each March on who will receive the next grant of $250,000.00.

Submitted by Jackie Gottfried, Keyway Committee