Dot Foods partners with Alzheimer’s Association, raises more than $14,000

Dot Foods matched $7,272 in funds raised from its recent 2nd Annual Trivia Challenge for ALZ, raising the amount raised to an astounding $14,544. Money raised will directly go toward the benefit of the Alzheimer’s Association for the purpose of research funding.

RACHEL TOWNSEND

rtownsend@stategazette.com

Thursday from 6-8 p.m., DOT Foods hosted its 2nd Annual Dot Foods Trivia Challenge to raise funds to find a cure for Alzheimer's disease.

Pictured above is team Lannom/Coronado, winner of Thursday night’s Dot Foods Trivia Challenge for ALZ. (L-R) Becky Dykes, Christine Coronado, Scott Haight, Vladimir Haight, Donna Dykes (front), and Tommy Gennaro.

The cost to participate was $200 per two-person team, but audience participation was encouraged also if both competing teams answered wrong. DOT Foods had promised ahead of time not to have chemistry, biology, or math questions, but rather questions on movies, sports, famous people, history, and of course, pop culture.

During the 2-hour-long trivia challenge, 6 teams - totaling 36 participants - competed in trivia categories including sports, history, science, and more.

A large supporter of ALZ funding, DOT Foods annual initiative emerged after Dot Foods founder Robert Tracy died from Alzheimer's. During that time, the company staff saw first-hand how the disease had robbed Tracy of his golden years and have since been doing their part "to wipe the disease off the face of the earth."

Some surprising facts about the disease, according to the association's website are: It's the only cause of death in the top 10 in America that cannot be prevented or slowed. Almost 2/3 of Americans with Alzheimer's disease are women. One in three seniors die with Alzheimer's or another dementia. It is the sixth-leading cause of death in the U.S. and costs our nation $226 billion every year.

Teams and individuals who contributed to the Alzheimer Association include: Dyersburg Noon Rotary Club, Alexander Thompson Arnold PLLC, White and Associates, First Citizens National Bank, Lannom Coronado, Ashley and Arnold and Dyersburg State Community College.

Hosting this year’s event was Dot Foods’ own Chris Landrum.

Winning first place in this year’s event was none other than Lannom/Coronado Law Firm, followed by DSCC in second place and Dyersburg Noon Rotary in third.

Individual donations were presented by Ty and Bethany Cobb and Joe Enoch.

Teams were catered with a variety of specialty desserts generously provided by Dot Foods.

Dot Foods General Manager Matt Duggan prepares to announce the 1st, 2nd and 3rd-place winners.