Community
We started the DKJ Foundation in 2001 soon after our father David was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s at the age of 60. Today the Foundation honors both David and our mother Susan who served as his caregiver until her death at 64.
Our mission is to raise money and awareness to cure Alzheimer’s and support family caregivers by providing resources and guidance throughout their journey.
We are very fortunate to have grown up in a wonderful, loving family atmosphere. Our goal is to keep alive the “life lessons” we learned from our parents and to pass them on to the next generation.
In March of 2004, the David & Susan Johnson Memorial Scholarship Fund was created to help support the mission of the David K. Johnson Foundation. Each year the scholarship fund provides financial assistance to a Reading High School student pursuing a career in the medical field or home health care. The scholarship fund is needs based, and managed by the Reading Scholarship Foundation, Inc.
The David K. Johnson Foundation supports families, care givers and others dealing with Alzheimer’s disease throughout the community. This takes shape in many ways. The DKJ Foundation created an online resource center and has hosted a number of free community events including Aging Parents: Navigating the JourneyTM panel discussion and a special screening of Still Alice followed by a Q&A with Author Lisa Genova. The Foundation also funded the urgent respite care program at Peter Sanborn Place along with a fitness program for residents provided by Burbank YMCA. The DKJ Foundation is also actively involved with formulating a committee to spearhead a Dementia Friendly Community Initiative.
The vision for Cure Alzheimer’s Fund was set by our founders. Frustrated with the slow pace of research about the disease, they applied their experience in venture capital and corporate startups to build an organization specifically designed to accelerate research, make bold bets, and eradicate the disease. The organization’s unwavering focus on finding a cure is made possible by our Board of Directors, which finances all of our overhead expenses so that 100% of all donations go to research.