Governor Hochul: "This is the greatest of all contributions because it's going to be a place where people walk in these doors, uncertain of a diagnosis, uncertain of their future, uncertain of the lives of their loved ones, or whether they're going to be okay or not, and they're going to walk out of here with some hope...I know the State came up with over $70 million. Again, thank you to my partners in state government. And we're going to do groundbreaking research here."
Hochul: "Those of you who continue to walk in here and help your fellow human beings, my friends, there's no greater calling than what we're doing right here today...We're making history today by putting down the marker and saying, 'We will eradicate the disease of Alzheimer's,' starting right here in Central New York at SUNY Upstate, and you'll have been part of making this history."
Earlier today, Governor Kathy Hochul delivered remarks at the Nappi Wellness Institute ribbon cutting in Syracuse.
VIDEO of the event is available on YouTube here and in TV quality (h.264, mp4) format here.
AUDIO of the event is available here.
PHOTOS of the event will be available on the Governor's Flickr page.
A rush transcript of the Governor's remarks are available below:
Thank you, and what a joy it is to back here. And I know you all think I'm wearing orange and blue because it's Syracuse and I went to Syracuse, but it's also a reminder that today is Gun Violence Awareness Day. And I want to thank all the people work at Upstate for saving lives of people who are victims of shootings in our own community right here. So, to them, I give a special shout out on this day, all the men and women, the nurses, the doctors, the lifesavers who are restoring some sense of civility and sanity back in our community.
Dr. Dewan, it is a joy to see you in action as well. You are so passionate about the work that you do here. I came to visit often during the pandemic, and to see the pride in all the researchers who are working tirelessly through a frightening time - very frightening time in our history, that they showed up every day with this sense of purpose to try to find cures, how we can help save lives, not just here, but across the planet. So, I've always been inspired by this place, but now more than ever before. So, let's give round applause to our leader, Dr. Dewan.
And I want to thank our Chancellor for saying, "Yes." When we had recruited him, I had known of his incredible work when he was our Commissioner of Education, but President Obama, in search of the smartest people in the country to be part of his cabinet, took him away, and he went and served as our Secretary of Education. For him to come back home to New York and to lead SUNY Upstate, but also the entire SUNY system into a phenomenal future under your leadership, I'm grateful. Chancellor Dr. John King. Let's give him another round of applause.
I am joined by incredible leaders you have sent to Albany on your behalf. We have Senator John Mannion. I want to thank him for all he has done for this community. I see Senator Rachel May. Thank you, Senator May. And of course, Al Stirpe, who's been here for quite a while. It's great. You got the senior guy here, a little longer than some of your colleagues. I want to thank our assemblymen as well. I think we also have some of our county legislators. Linda Ervin and Peggy Chase, are you here? Linda, Peggy, they are my friends. Great to see you again. Great to see you. And Randy Wolken, our co-chair of the Regional Economic Development Council is here I believe as well.
But today goes to the Nappi family. And I'm a fairly new grandma myself, so I'm always noticing babies in a crowd. And I'll tell you, Leo is adorable. So, let's welcome a nine-week-old member of the Nappi family to this event today. Congratulations to your family. Congratulations.
I don't think I can explain in more personal terms the impact of Alzheimer's on families than our Chancellor just did. To have your childhood stolen like that - you had to become an adult very quickly, losing your mom, but then also having to be someone who perhaps understood things more than your own father at a young age. That may be a reason why, that you are so committed to serving others. And I understand even more about your life's story and your journey here.
So, every family who has to see a loved one deteriorate with Alzheimer's, it is so frightening because you don't know what the future brings. You don't know if it's going to get worse. And to date, there's not been a cure. Same thing happened to my grandparents and many, many other family members. We saw that. You don't recognize the person that you knew so well. But I believe we've reached a turning point. I feel so confident because of what we're doing here, and we'll continue to do here in this magnificent space - a place of healing, a place of love, a place of compassion that you've created here.
So, Sam and Carol, I am so grateful that there are New Yorkers like you who are so selfless, so giving of your community that, yes, you could have done anything with $8 million, and you have been so generous to the university. And we talked about the fact that - I didn't know this - you were the ones who came up with the gift to name the football field after Ernie Davis. As a student here starting the year Sam did, we won't say the year, but if you want to fact check, it's also the same year that Jim Boeheim started as coach here. So, we go back a little bit. But I worked hard as a student to try and have Ernie Davis recognized with his name on the Carrier Dome. Clearly, I lost that battle because it was the Carrier Dome, but I was so proud to know that Ernie Davis received a recognition. That's the kind of people the Nappi's are, to do something so selfless.
But this is the greatest of all contributions because it's going to be a place where people walk in these doors, uncertain of a diagnosis, uncertain of their future, uncertain of the lives of their loved ones, or whether they're going to be okay or not, and they're going to walk out of here with some hope. And that is the greatest gift you can give to this community and to the people of this State. So, I'm grateful that we could support this as well. I know the State came up with over $70 million. Again, thank you to my partners in state government. And we're going to do groundbreaking research here.
And I don't need to run through all the statistics about how many people are suffering from Alzheimer's today, but it is almost 7 million today. It'll be 13 million in just a matter of years, in our lifetime, 13 million. And 11 million people right now are caregivers. Those caregivers need to know there's something out there that can give them some sense of hope and purpose. That's what this is all about. That's why I'm so proud to be here, and that's why I want to thank everyone who's part of this incredible journey to be here this day. Those of you who continue to walk in here and help your fellow human beings, my friends, there's no greater calling than what we're doing right here today. I hope you all feel that sense of history that we're making. It's not the same history that Dr. Dewan talked about, but it is our own history. We're making history today by putting down the marker and saying, "We will eradicate the disease of Alzheimer's," starting right here in Central New York at SUNY Upstate, and you'll have been part of making this history.
Congratulations to everyone for all you're doing here today. And it is especially sweet to be able to introduce someone who spent over 20 years of her life as a psychiatric therapist at Upstate Medical University. You've been a strong advocate Carol, for so many people and helping give people that sense they're going to be okay. So, I want to thank you for what you've done in philanthropy. But even before that, learning firsthand the challenges of our healthcare workers are going through. You lived it yourself. And now to take this opportunity to give back and help those workers have a nurturing, caring environment to work in. I think that is extraordinary. Ladies and gentlemen, let me present to you Carol Nappi, and a huge round of applause to her and to Sam for your incredible gratitude and the entire Nappi family.