Oklahoma City, OK, July 31, 2003 – Christmas came in July as the Bachelor’s Club presented a check in support of Alzheimer’s disease research to the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation on Tuesday. The sum represents the proceeds from the club’s 57th annual Christmas Ball, which was held December 21.
“For two years, the Bachelor’s Club has chosen OMRF as its beneficiary,” said Art Cotton, OMRF’s vice president of development. “This is a tremendous honor for us. It certainly speaks highly of the Bachelor’s Club’s members and their desire to take a positive step toward eliminating this devastating disease.”
“We chose OMRF as our beneficiary because of the ground-breaking research being conducted here and also because it is a local organization,” said Drew Wendelken, Bachelor’s Club president. “We like seeing our donations used locally as often as possible.”
Wendelken’s grandmother suffers from Alzheimer’s, so he has a personal interest in the research. “I hope that the research being done here will someday prevent other families from facing the challenges mine has had,” he said. “That would be my personal wish.”
In 2001, the Bachelor’s Club donated proceeds from this event to lupus research at OMRF.
The Bachelor’s Club was founded in 1938 to promote social and philanthropic undertakings and to provide leadership in the Oklahoma City community. Through its annual Christmas Ball, it has raised more than $180,000 for local charities.
Chartered in 1946, OMRF is a private, non-profit, biomedical research institute that employs more than 500 scientists, physicians, technicians, and administrative and support personnel. OMRF focuses on several critical areas of research: Alzheimer’s disease, cancer, heart disease, diabetes, lupus and other autoimmune diseases, stroke, AIDS, aging, children’s disease, and genetic disorders.
