On June 7, my seven-year-old son Shawn walked up to the podium to advocate that brain health and brain capital development should start in childhood and before.

He clearly laid out for them the seven pillars for building brain capital, which also includes the arts.

I took the podium right after him, admittedly, a little bit more nervous than him.

Since Avondale is the location where three rivers meet, I use that metaphor to drive home the point that the greater Phoenix area in Arizona as a whole needs a brain capital strategy.

Arizona leads the nation in Alzheimer’s cases so it’s time for us to become aware and lead the nation and brain capital application and integration.

Below my speech and here is the link to the text and open letter to our city government

We all need to come together and break the silos and figure this out to build a positive brain capital economy.

Good evening Mayor, City Council and the Great City of Avondale:

We moved here about a year ago, and I always strive to understand the deeper essence of the cities I call home. On the last day of the year, I stood on a manhole that read:

“Avondale, The city where three rivers meet.” That was it!!

This is the only city in the valley where three rivers converge. There’s something powerful about rivers, not just in a physical sense, but metaphorically and neurologically as well. These rivers are not only around you; they are within you. You are made of rivers, your vascular system, your arteries and veins…this is your river of life.

And I am here to offer a kind yet urgent warning: our rivers of life, especially those in our brains, are under attack.

My research shows that Arizona has the fastest-growing rate of Alzheimer’s disease in the country. This disease now affects 6.5 million Americans, slowly stealing the brain’s ability to function, even to remember who we are. It impacts more people than breast cancer and prostate cancer combined.

Between 2000 and 2021, deaths from heart disease decreased by 2.1%, while deaths from Alzheimer’s increased by 141%.

This means the rivers of life within your children and Avondale citizens are being clogged long before symptoms appear, symptoms that may not show for decades.

But they will come, unless we act now.

According to the CDC, 1 in 4 people will experience a stroke. That’s 25%!! And these strokes are increasingly happening earlier in the lifespan. The effects are devastating.

Desmond Tutu once said,
“There comes a point where we need to stop just pulling people out of the river downstream. We need to go upstream and find out why they’re falling in.”

This proclamation is our first step in going upstream. It’s meant to spark action in addressing the root causes that have put Arizona at the forefront of Alzheimer’s and dementia cases in the nation.

Much of our current focus is on intervention and finding a cure after symptoms begin. But I, and many respected neuroscientists and thought leaders say this:

The cure is in PREVENTION!

We’re discovering that Alzheimer’s can begin developing in the brain during midlife, often in our 30s and 40s, making it a childhood and teen behavioral issue. Recent studies suggest that 45–50% of dementia cases could have been prevented.

Similarly, while 25% of people are at risk of stroke, 80% of stroke cases, those your police, firefighters, and EMTs respond to, could have been prevented.

If we go upstream by educating Avondale’s children and families, integrating this knowledge into school curriculum, and creating supportive environments for healthier choices—we could change these statistics. We can build a culture where health is not just a goal, but an identity. My family believes Avondale can lead the way.

Because this isn’t only about disease prevention. It’s about unlocking brain capital—creating environments that help brains thrive. According to the McKinsey Institute, the global brain economy represents a $26 trillion dollar opportunity. This is real and achievable.

What will Arizona’s share be? Avondale’s?

It will be based on gains in productivity, innovation, and health that arise when we prioritize cognitive strength. Healthier brains mean more creativity, more collaboration, and more resilience.

So in closing, I ask, ‘How do we go upstream?

Step one is awareness—that’s why we’re here.
Step two is assembling a multi-sectoral Brain Capital/Health Committee. This issue isn’t confined to one silo. It requires collaboration between government, education, public services, private business, and nonprofits.

Together, we can develop a citywide Brain Capital/Health Strategic Plan, modeled after national initiatives in Canada, Sweden, and Spain. These nations are leading in brain health innovation.

Then we implement. We adapt. We expand. We support those already affected by cognitive decline while also going upstream and addressing the modifiable risk factors our infants and children must avoid in order to build resilient, creative, and cognitively strong brains throughout their lives.

Avondale is the only city in the entire valley where three rivers meet. That’s powerful. Avondale is a place of diversity and convergence. It’s the intersection of life, of hope, and of flourishing minds.

And it will remain so—if we go upstream, and protect the river of life that flows within each of us.

Thank you,
Genein M. Letford, M.Ed