Roofing Company President Raises Funds for Alzheimer’s

By Lauren White, RCS Reporter.

The Longest Day Campaign has helped raise over $100,000.

In three short years, Reed Gooding, president of GSM Roofing in Ephrata, Pennsylvania has raised $100,000 for Alzheimer’s research.  

This Lititz, Pennsylvania resident is passionate to help the Alzheimer’s Association.  In an interview with the Lititz Record Express, Gooding shared, “My mom battled Alzheimer’s/dementia, finally succumbing to the disease in 2015 at the age of 69...Raising money and awareness for the disease is a small way for me to honor my mom’s memory.”  

Gooding participated in his first Alzheimer’s walk in 2014.  He has since developed a fundraiser called the Longest Day Campaign.  This event takes place on June 21, also known as the summer solstice. Gooding explained to the Lititz Record Express, “I had a tough time thinking of a typical event that I could do on the longest day, which more times than not is on a ‘work day,’ so I am hoping to create a ‘non-event event’ that anyone can participate in at any time during the Longest Day.”

The summer solstice is the longest day of the year, but according to Gooding, “...for the caregiver, like my father, every single day was his longest day.”  Waking up in the middle of the night, being in charge of dressing, feeding, bathing, ensuring she didn’t get lost, and then going to bed and doing it all over again, takes a toll.  Gooding explains, “He [his father], as well as the 16.3 million unpaid caregivers, sacrificed his own well-being to care for her.”

Further efforts to raise awareness and funds for this disease include Gooding’s participation in the Lancaster Walk to End Alzheimer’s and developing a special hashtag, “#AnHour4Alz.”  He is asking people to, “...consider donating an hour of their pay to the Alzheimer’s Association, in honor of a caregiver or someone that is or was affected by the disease,” Gooding shared with the Lititz Record Express.  His efforts have allowed him to be recognized as a “Top 100” fund-raiser for the past two years.  

Every little bit helps, even donating an hour of pay.  Gooding has managed to find a way to honor his mother’s memory while contributing to a greater cause, raising money and awareness to the Alzheimer’s disease.  

Do you know of someone in the industry who is ‘doing good deeds’ in their community? Help us catch them at it. Send news and information to info@rooferscoffeeshop.com.