The Tennessee Memory Disorders Foundation is bringing its Fall Into Orange fundraiser back to Hardin Valley on Friday, August 28, with a 5 p.m. gathering at Orange Hat Brewing Company designed to raise money for Alzheimer's and dementia patient care, research, and outreach across East Tennessee. The family-friendly event will feature live music from Dr. Zoster and the Pox, interactive games for families, a silent auction, and local craft beer and gourmet food for purchase.
This marks the fourth year TMDF has held Fall Into Orange, according to The Knoxville Focus, with previous editions held at the same Orange Hat Brewing Company location on Hardin Valley Road in the years prior. Funds raised through sponsorships and donations go toward patient programs, educational outreach, internships, and research projects run by the foundation, and organizers are inviting the public to attend, sponsor, or donate to support the cause. Contributions to TMDF are tax-deductible.
A Clinic That Grew Into a Foundation
TMDF traces its roots to the Genesis Neuroscience Clinic, which Yale- and UPenn-trained geriatrician Dr. Monica K. Crane established in West Knoxville in 2017 before it restructured into a board-governed 501(c)(3) nonprofit in 2020, according to TMDF. Since opening its doors, the foundation and its clinical care team have treated more than 9,000 East Tennessee patients coping with cognitive decline and neurodegenerative dementias, the organization says. Dr. Crane has also served as a principal investigator on 16 major clinical trials in Alzheimer's disease and frontotemporal dementias, conducted in partnership with regional medical institutions and the University of Tennessee.
Beyond direct patient care, TMDF runs a clinical internship program that has mentored more than 100 undergraduate and graduate students since 2017, with a focus on underrepresented students building East Tennessee's future geriatric and dementia care workforce, per the foundation. In 2014, Dr. Crane also co-founded the Purple Cities Alliance in Knoxville, an effort to make the area the nation's first Dementia Friendly City, and that outreach framework has since been adopted by municipalities elsewhere in the country.
Why the Need Keeps Growing
The stakes behind the Hardin Valley fundraiser are tied to a broader statewide health challenge. An estimated 129,000 Tennesseans aged 65 and older are living with Alzheimer's disease, supported by 393,000 family caregivers who provide more than $13 billion in unpaid care annually, according to 2026 figures from the Alzheimer's Impact Movement. Alzheimer's-related deaths in Tennessee rose 185.6% between 2000 and 2024, the group's data shows.
State officials have also moved to address the gap. In late 2025, the Tennessee Department of Health launched a five-county Dementia Navigator Program pilot, funded through the federal CDC BOLD Infrastructure Act, to expand community memory screenings and care navigation, reaching more than 5,700 Tennesseans in its first six months, according to research shared through Digital Commons @ ETSU. Separately, a study published in Alzheimer's & Dementia found that nearly half of all older adults living with dementia suffer a fall each year, a finding highlighted by HealthDay that underscores the physical safety risks caregiver support programs aim to reduce.
What to Expect at the Brewery
Attendees at the August 28 event can expect networking opportunities alongside the music, games, and food, with the silent auction benefiting TMDF programs directly. The gathering is positioned as an accessible entry point for a complicated regional health issue, pairing a neighborhood venue with a cause that touches thousands of local families coping with memory loss. Organizers say the event aims to improve the lives of people affected by Alzheimer's disease and other neurodegenerative dementias through the money raised.
Those interested in supporting the cause without attending in person can also sponsor or donate directly to TMDF, which offers sponsorship opportunities year-round. The foundation's dual focus on clinical treatment and workforce training means proceeds from Fall Into Orange are expected to stretch across patient care, ongoing research, and the internship pipeline that has already brought more than 100 students into East Tennessee's dementia care field.
