BROOKLYN, N.Y. — The annual Brooklyn Memorial Cup for Alzheimer’s not only brings together a spirited softball competition but also unites a community in the fight against a devastating disease. This year’s event, held at Kingsborough Community College, raised over $13,000 for Alzheimer’s research, demonstrating the power of collective effort.

“Alzheimer’s affects over 3 million people in the United States alone. Worldwide, the numbers are obviously a lot more staggering. It’s really, really awful to watch your loved ones, people you know, go through it where they start not knowing who they are, not knowing the people around them, or losing control of their motor skills,” said event founder Matthew Blittner. “So, whatever we can do to help, you know, raise awareness on this… the most important thing is raising awareness.”

The event holds personal significance for many participants. “I always love being here because it’s a great cause, something that’s close to my family. Unfortunately, there’s a lot of people that get affected by this, so to be able to raise money to do research… I feel like we’re a part of that,” said Jake Tawil, reflecting on the importance of the event.

The Blittner family has been particularly impacted by Alzheimer’s, driving their commitment to the cause. “Our grandfather passed from it, our great uncle also passed from that disease. So we know so many people, especially in our family, who have either been diagnosed or have extended families who have been diagnosed and passed from it as well. That’s why it’s so important for us to raise all this money to try and end this disease,” shared Tara Blittner.

The event has grown significantly since its start up in 2019, both in terms of participation and fundraising. “Years past, it started out small, we started off on a small little league field and we keep getting better every year. This is a great day. It’s a great field. Just want to enjoy ourselves and have fun, and the cause of it is just to beat the dreaded disease and to raise money for it,” said Seth Blittner, who presented the awards at this year’s event.

Players from both teams expressed their commitment to the cause and the event’s atmosphere of camaraderie and competition. “So I’ve been streaming, the streaming partner for them for… this is the sixth year. For five years I had family that had Alzheimer’s and dementia and stuff like that. Unfortunately, they passed away. So it has a personal impact for me, and I always try to do whatever I can for the community, because it’s a good event,” said Erik Wlasiuk.

As the BK Americans celebrated their 14-4 victory, the true win was the community’s unified effort in the fight against Alzheimer’s, making each swing of the bat and every dollar raised a step closer to a cure.

James Alain is a contributing writer for The Beacon.