Young professionals and networking – yes. Cocktails? Sure. Yoga – maybe. Alzheimer’s research and prevention?
Actually, yes.
In fact, our local Alzheimer’s Association Junior Committee has managed to wrap all these items up in one event – a screening of their short film Elephants in the Room at Strongwater Food & Spirits (401 W. Town St.) this Sunday, September 11 beginning at 5 p.m.
Junior Committee Board President Kristin Dahlquist directed the film, but insists the project was the result of a strong group effort.
“The entire Junior Committee helped in innumerable ways to get the film done,” she says.
The short focuses not only on Alzheimer’s, Dahlquist says, but more broadly on “brain health disorders.”
“Specifically following two families struggling with Alzheimer’s Disease, and many more young professionals dealing with depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, suicidality and more,” Dahlquist says. “After a picture is painted and stories are told, the film explores what we as young professionals living in Columbus can do about it.”
You can watch the film this weekend after a bit of yoga (yoga optional) and networking.
Why yoga?
“Living a brain-healthy lifestyle is supported by five things: exercise, nutrition, socialization, cognitive fitness and spirituality,” Dahlquist says. “We chose to couple the film with yoga because of its proven brain health benefits. We’d love to introduce the Columbus community to the activity in an affordable, social way.”
The event is part of Alzheimer’s Association Junior Committee’s year-round fundraising.
“We have a four-tiered approach in supporting the efforts of the Alzheimer’s Association including volunteerism, fundraising, advocacy and education,” she says. “We find creative ways to educate the community with projects like this film.”
“This topic is important because it affects almost all of us in one way or another,” she says. “Yet there is a stigma around both Alzheimer’s Disease and mental health disorders which creates a barrier to care.”
Elephants in the Room was made on a $10,000 grant from the Create Columbus Commission with the goal to “reduce the stigma of mental health disorders, create a conversation around the topic among young professionals to create a strong sense of community, and highlight what we can do about it today to help our tomorrow,” Dahlquist says.
Screening, networking, cocktails and yoga from 5 – 8 p.m. Sunday, September 11 at Strongwater Food & Spirits. Tickets (including one drink ticket) are $10. VIP tickets (including a “brain-healthy” SWAG bag) are $20.
Tickets can be purchased in advance here.