It's often said that all great change in America begins at the dinner table, and that's precisely where the enterprise of my heart — the Lou Ruvo Brain Institute — began. Shortly after my father, who was my best friend, died of Alzheimer's disease, a few dozen friends gathered at Spago for a dinner to celebrate his love of life, good food and fine wine.

Sometime during the dinner, amidst the store telling and laughter, an unexpected turn of events began to unfold. Our friends began raising their hands to contribute money to Alzheimer's research in my father's memory. We didn't know it at the time, but that night was the first step of an amazing journey that continues today.

Today, the evolution of that night has become a professionally-staffed dynamic social enterprise with a commitment to combating a host of degenerative brain diseases under our guiding principle of “New Thinking About Thinking.”

As the population ages, the mission of the Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health becomes ever more urgent. In just the next five years, nearly 50 million baby boomers will reach retirement age. And the number of individuals who will be affected by brain disease is expected to see a dramatic jump. Those figures will bring enormous financial and social burdens upon our community and our country. The time to act is now.

The Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health is rapidly becoming a leader in cutting-edge research to develop new therapies and other instruments to detect and halt the progression of debilitating brain diseases.

Will Rogers once said, “Even if you’re on the right track you’ll get run over if you just sit there.” That sentiment captures my approach to the role I have as Chairman of Keep Memory Alive, which supports the Lou Ruvo Brain Institute.

Our successes can be attributed to the tremendous support of the Board of Directors, our community leaders, a global community of expert researchers and our wonderful supporters, investors and volunteers. With their continued support and expertise, the next five years appear exceptionally bright.

The construction of the Frank Gehry-designed Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health building, the development of a statewide Nevada Health Research Registry and growing international academic research collaborations highlight our vision. It will only be through these ambitious, unique and collaborative approaches, through employing new thinking about thinking in everything we do, that we are confident these efforts will keep memories alive for all of us.

Thank you,

Larry Ruvo
Chariman