2008

LBDA is proud to name Victoria Ruff as our 2008 Volunteer of the Year. Victoria hails from Boston, MA, where she cared for her mother who passed away from LBD. She joined LBDA in 2006 and currently sits on the Outreach Committee. She has made the LBDA Chat Room a valuable resource for caregivers and others affected by LBD to meet online in real-time. Victoria leads an LBD support group and has helped to bring information and resources on Lewy body dementias to local facilities. Most recently, Victoria designed and led a project which reached out to hundreds of doctors and facilities across the United States, inviting physicians to self-report to LBDA if they treat Lewy body dementias. Thank you, Victoria, for your outstanding work!

2007

Helen Whitworth from Mesa, Arizona is the LBDA Volunteer of the Year for 2007. Helen joined LBDA in 2005 when she began exhibiting at medical conferences. In 2006, she took over writing volunteer job descriptions, supervising new volunteer applications, and developed a new volunteer orientation process. Under her supervision our volunteer ranks have nearly doubled and we are now more effectively engaging volunteers in our mission across the country. Helen continues to exhibit at medical conferences to help spread the word about LBD to physicians, and is currently the Outreach and Education Committee Chair. Thank you, Helen, for all that you do!

2006

2006 Volunteer of the Year Carol Caughran from Tamarac (Ft. Lauderdale), Florida is the 2006 LBDA volunteer of the year. In September 2005 Carol started the first LBD monthly support group in the US, and in January 2006 held a LBD caregiver's symposium in Coral Springs, FL. The symposium included two professional speakers and a caregiver panel. Carol arranged for the event to be filmed and it is now an excellent resource for professional and home caregivers (available on DVD and VHS). Thank you, Carol!

2005

Gourete Broderick from Toronto, Ontario, Canada was selected as the first LBDA volunteer of the year for her dedication to raising awareness of LBD throughout Canada, the US and beyond. Gourete (a.k.a. "Courage") conducted an international e-mail campaign to professionals and has mailed LBD brochures to hundreds of organizations throughout Canada. Thank you, Gourete!