1 man, 1 mission: CART Fund executives reflect on decades helping to fund Alzheimer’s research

It all started with one man and his drive to combat one disease.

The year was 1995. Roger Ackerman, a Sumterite and devoted Rotarian, lay awake one night, thinking about how the Rotary Club could better combat a disease that deeply affected his family — Alzheimer's.

Alzheimer's is a type of dementia that affects memory, thinking and behavior, according to the Alzheimer's Association. Most experts in the field think plaques and tangles in the brain are prime suspects in damaging and killing nerve cells, preventing communication among nerve cells and disrupting processes cells undergo to survive, according to the association. Often detected in persons 65 years and older, the disease is not considered a normal part of aging and can worsen over time and interfere with daily life.

This was the case for Ackerman as he and his wife, Deane, watched for nearly two decades as their "Mother Love" — Deane's mom and Ackerman's mother-in-law, Rae Wodis — slowly lost herself to the disease. In the last four years of Wodis’ life, she lost the ability to communicate and couldn't remember who her family was, according to the Rotary.

At the time, there was little to no research to understand the disease or how to treat it. Once the realization set in that other families were dealing with the same heartache, Ackerman set out to find a solution.

That solution was the shiny, jingling coins in the pockets of Americans everywhere and the organization that would go on to be coined the Coins for Alzheimer’s Research Trust, or CART Fund.

“The idea was that Rotarians would reach into their pockets and pull out all the coins in their pockets and put it in these little blue buckets,” said Johnny Hilton, vice president of finance for the CART Fund and Ackerman’s long-time friend.

For 30 years, those little blue buckets and all their contents have been donated to research efforts to find effective treatments for Alzheimer’s. Though Hilton was “recruited” by Ackerman during the founding of the CART Fund, his personal dealings with the disease — his grandfather and mother both suffered from Alzheimer's — backed his drive to find a cure.

Angus McDuffie experienced the devastating toll Alzheimer's takes on a family as his children’s grandmother suffered from Alzheimer's. As she became less and less aware of her family, his granddaughter was deeply affected. In 2011, McDuffie was asked to take on the role as treasurer, once filled by Ackerman.

“When I was asked if I would take over as treasurer, knowing how my granddaughter had been affected by it, I just couldn’t say no.”

In 2018, Ackerman passed away, leaving behind a legacy of love and support for a community, its people and their unwavering perseverance. In his honor, the CART Fund has continued to honor his wishes — devoting every dollar donated to Alzheimer’s research.

In April 1999, an initial grant of $100,000 was made by the Rotary District 7770 to Emory University and Dr. Allan Levey, the university’s lead Alzheimer’s researcher. In May 2022, the total of research grants awarded by the CART Fund exceeded $11 million, according to McDuffie. Hilton explained the grants are paid to recipients in four installments in a two-year period.

Donations are the organization’s main source of fueling the grants, but different districts host individual fundraisers as well. Musical festivals, golf tournaments, a car raffle, go-kart races — this year, Sumter hosted its annual Farm to Table dinner for the first time in three years. On average, these events bring out hundreds and are a great way to garner donations. However, those looking to give outside of these fun-filled events have sent checks to the CART Fund in honor of loved ones who suffered from Alzheimer’s and in honor of Ackerman for his vision and generosity.

“Roger is just a great guy. He was a very generous, giving person. He was friendly, outgoing; he was a visionary,” Hilton reminisced about his friend. “He saw a problem, and he tried to figure out a solution for the problem — the problem being Alzheimer's and the devastating effect it has on individuals and on families.”

Ackerman’s problem-solving allowed for major strides to be made in the realm of Alzheimer’s research. Today, scientists and researchers across the country have targeted specific proteins in the brain that impact Alzheimer’s, the Food and Drug Administration has approved medications to treat symptoms of Alzheimer’s and has separately executed animal-based therapy trials to treat the disease, which have been unsuccessful so far, according to testimonies provided to the CART Fund.

As Hilton, McDuffie and every Rotarian and supporter of the CART Fund look to the future, the hope is to continue making monumental strides in Alzheimer's research and expanding the reach of Roger's mission for the betterment of those who need it most.