https://www.fayobserver.com/story/sports/college/acc/2022/09/02/nc-state-alumni-pledge-20-000-alzheimers-research/7894434001/?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=ncstatealumni&utm_content=807141a8-9064-4906-aada-6bd806af3616&utm_campaign=socialhub

Kevin Keen found himself thinking about his father while watching the ACC Network's all-access program on NC State football this month.

The show put a spotlight on the relationship between head coach Dave Doeren and special assistant Ruffin McNeill Jr., highlighting a shared struggle with aging fathers suffering from Alzheimer's and dementia.

Keen, a 1991 NC State graduate, had watched his father suffer from dementia before he passed away from COVID symptoms last year. His father-in-law died in 2012, spending his final years with executive memory loss brought on by dementia.

Each member is given $10,000 to donate, and Keen went to his president, Phil Dorroll another NC State grad and suggested they use their portion to donate to Alzheimer's and Dementia research.

They decided to each make a $10,000 donation, one in Ruffin McNeill Sr's name and the other in Bill Doeren's name. Keen said they will let the McNeill and Doeren family choose which charity receives the donation.