07.16.2008

             The five bank executives – Joyce Duhaine of Hanson, Philip Melanson of Hingham, Janet Frye of Wrentham, and Weymouth residents Lynn Tempesta and Jane Wing – will be joined by five friends and relatives on “Team SSSB.” Thus far the team has raised nearly $15,000, including a $5,000 donation from South Shore Savings Bank and its charitable foundation, toward their goal of $25,000.

“South Shore Savings Bank is proud to support Team SSSB in the Memory Ride,” said South Shore Savings Bank President and CEO John C. Boucher. “Alzheimer’s Disease has touched many of us either directly or indirectly, and we applaud their efforts to raise money for critical research.”

“This degenerative disease destroys the brain’s ability to remember, reason and make judgments – which means over time it destroys our ability to speak, to walk, to feed and clothe ourselves, to laugh, to hug…even to recognize the faces of our closest family members,” said Melanson. “We all feel very strongly that any contribution for research or a possible cure for the disease is extremely important.”

Melanson’s mother and two aunts succumbed to Alzheimer’s, and his father is currently battling the disease.

Now in its twelfth year, the Memory Ride has raised over $1.5 million for Alzheimer’s research. Ninety percent of the money raised by Memory Ride participants funds the Memory Ride grant awarded through the Alzheimer’s Association’s research grants program, while ten percent of the proceeds stay in Massachusetts to help fund programs and services. As many as 5.2 million Americans are living with Alzheimer’s disease – 120,000 in Massachusetts alone.  

The Memory Ridebegins at Fort Devens. Riders can choose a 25-, 62- or 100-mile route.

For more information on the Memory Ride or to make a contribution to Team SSSB, visit www.memoryride.org.

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