Photo Flash: Rita Hayworth Palm Beach Luncheon Benefits The Alzheimer's Association

The Alzheimer's Association, the leading voluntary health organization in Alzheimer's care, support and research, was the beneficiary of the Rita Hayworth Luncheon, held on March 4 at The Colony Hotel, Palm Beach. BroadwayWorld has photos from the event below!

This special fundraising event was co-hosted by Princess Yasmin Aga Khan, the daughter of legendary movie star and dancer Rita Hayworth who passed away from Alzheimer's disease, and internationally renowned designer Carleton Varney, who recently completed a $15-million "re-imagining" of The Colony Hotel, a Palm Beach landmark for nearly 70 years.

More than 160 friends and supporters of the Alzheimer's Association attended the luncheon and contributed more than $100,000 to support the Association's mission.

"With the help of Princess Yasmin Aga Khan, the international community no longer seems to view this disease with the stigma that it once did," says Mr. Varney. "I personally hope that we can build our network of benefactors so that next year in Palm Beach our third annual Alzheimer's Association Rita Hayworth Luncheon at The Colony will be even bigger and more successful."

Highlights of this year's luncheon included an exclusive preview of the Naeem Khan Resort Collection; a personal appeal from longtime local nonprofit executive Dottie Carson, who is living with Alzheimer's disease; and presentations by Ann May, CEO of the Alzheimer's Association, Southeast Florida Chapter, and Maria C. Carrillo, Ph.D., the Chief Science Officer at the Alzheimer's Association, who discussed the global landscape of research investigations and funding opportunities.

The first Rita Hayworth Gala was held in New York in 1984, and the event expanded to include Chicago in 1987 and Palm Beach in 2015. To date, under Aga Khan's leadership, more than $68 million has been raised for the Alzheimer's Association as a result of the Rita Hayworth Gala events.

The Alzheimer's Association is the leading voluntary health organization in Alzheimer care, support and research. Our mission is to eliminate Alzheimer's disease through the advancement of research; to provide and enhance care and support for all affected; and to reduce the risk of dementia through the promotion of brain health. Our vision is a world without Alzheimer's. For more information about Alzheimer's disease, visit www.alz.org or call 800-272-3900.

Photo Credit: Corby Kaye's Studio Palm Beach