The Vallejo lodges of the Order Sons of Italy in America on Nov. 6 presented the UC Davis Alzheimer's Disease Center with a donation of $8,734 during a ceremony held in the UC Davis MIND Institute auditorium. The donation, from the Virgilio Lodge Number 1586 and the Beatrice Portinari Lodge Number 1626, brings the organization's donations to UC Davis Alzheimer's disease research to $130,000.

"We are extremely grateful for our ongoing relationship with the Sons of Italy for their continuing support of the Alzheimer's Disease Center," center Director Charles DeCarli said.

The Order Sons of Italy (OSIA) is the largest and longest-established national organization for men and women of Italian heritage in the United States. Established in 1905 as a mutual aid society for the early Italian immigrants, today OSIA has more than 600,000 members and supporters and a network of more than 700 chapters coast to coast, making it the leading service and advocacy organization for the nation's estimated 26 million people of Italian descent. The Vallejo lodges raise funds for the Alzheimer's disease center by holding a wine-tasting and appetizer event each year.

The UC Davis Alzheimer's Disease Center conducts research and coordinates care for patients who have been diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia.