AFTD Board alumnus, Steve Bellwoar, has raised more than $1 million to drive AFTD’s mission in memory of his mother. Patricia “Trish” Bellwoar died in 2021 after living with FTD for nearly 30 years.

Since Steve’s initial Colonial Electric Food for Thought gathering in 2014, the event, which features a nine-hole golf tournament, cocktail hour, seated dinner, and program focused on raising FTD awareness, has grown steadily to become a community mainstay. Not surprisingly, the event’s annual supporters begin asking Steve about the event well in advance.

Reflecting on his family’s long-standing association with the organization, Steve recalled that his father was referred to AFTD for support following Trish’s diagnosis. “She was misdiagnosed at first. My mom was, as almost everybody is, initially diagnosed with Alzheimer’s.” With assistance from the AFTD HelpLine, however, Steve’s father found guidance to help the family care for Trish.

Getting Involved with AFTD

It did not take long for Steve to become involved in furthering AFTD’s mission. While attending AFTD’s 10th-anniversary celebration in 2012, where he connected with then-Executive Director Susan Dickinson (now AFTD’s CEO), Steve was inspired to volunteer and fundraise on behalf of the organization.

By 2014, Steve had joined AFTD’s Board of Directors and was preparing to host his first fundraising event, which ended up raising nearly $22,000. Today, Steve’s event raises more than $100,000 each year. “We have a lot of people who are supporting [us] in memory of my mother and father, who founded [Colonial Electric] in 1972.”

Building Connections to End FTD

In addition to commemorating Trish, Steve and his family see the annual event as an opportunity to build connections with others who are affected by FTD, educate people about the disease, and raise funds. “We’ve got to drive awareness, advocacy, and investment – those are not easy things to do for a rare disease because there isn’t the notoriety that other diseases like Alzheimer’s or cancer have,” he says.

Still inspired to improve the journey for others and bring an end to the disease, Steve plans to continue hosting the event for the foreseeable future. “There’s a lot more work to do with brain diseases in general – we would all love it if there could be a treatment or a way to prevent FTD from happening. In the meantime, we’re helping the families who have been unfortunately stricken with this terrible disease.”

After more than a decade of hosting fundraising events, Steve happily shares advice with others who may be thinking of hosting their own fundraiser. “I think the best tip given to me was that people do it to help you personally.” Indeed, he attributes much of his success to following up directly with people he’s invited to say, “Hey, this is a great organization; they do great work.”

On behalf of AFTD and the community we serve, we would like to extend a huge thank you to Steve, the Bellwoar family, Colonial Electric, and their supporters who have come together every year over the past eleven years to make an indelible impact on furthering FTD awareness and our mission.