Volunteering at the “Walks to End Alzheimer’s” such an uplifting, joyful experience. I met Pansy, the bubbling, effervescent dynamo who inspired a whole team of people to walk with her. She has been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s and no one wants this bright shining light of hers to fade.I met Wanda, gently holding her blue flower pinwheel, which spins softly around and around, as the wind twirls through the petals. The blue color signifies she has Alzheimer’s disease. She was
joined by her loving husband who knew that, while she might not have the stamina to make the 2 mile walk, she could certainly join the fun riding their unique bicycle built for two. I watched while he sweetly and carefully sat her in the back position and attached her feet to the pedals with Velcro and then took up the front position to provide the real pedal power. We handed out purple “Walk to End Alzheimer’s” t-shirts to every person who raised $100 in donations, and t-shirts emblazoned with “Champion” for those who raised over $1,000. Cheerleaders with pom-poms provided youthful energy, and a rousing send-off for as participants walked under an arch of purple and white balloons.
The walks are in lovely areas, often around a lake or a lush green park lined with trees wafting a light breeze to keep participants cool and refreshed. Each walker chose a flower pinwheel to carry, purple if they have lost a family member to the disease, yellow if they are a caretaker, blue if they have Alzheimer’s, and orange if they are there to show support in raising funds for further research. How vibrant and colorful it looked when we all raised our flowers to the wind – an ocean of so many people who are dedicated to improving the lives of those with Alzheimer’s.
Join in the fun and contribute to finding ways to diagnose and treat this disease, which is the sixth leading cause of death in the United States. Walk for Alzheimer’s. Walks are scheduled in different geographic areas from September through November. Input your zipcode at www.alz.org and locate the ones closest to where you live. Here are some examples for California:
Oct. 4 Oceanside
Oct.11 Oxnard and Monterey
Oct. 18 San Luis Obispo and Long Beach
Oct. 25 Thousand Oaks
Nov. 1 Huntington Beach
Nov. 8 Santa Barbara
Join in the fun and contribute to finding ways to diagnose and treat this disease, which is the sixth leading cause of death in the United States. Walk for Alzheimer’s. Walks are scheduled in different geographic areas from September through November. Input your zipcode at www.alz.org and locate the ones closest to where you live. Here are some examples for California:
Oct. 4 Oceanside
Oct.11 Oxnard and Monterey
Oct. 18 San Luis Obispo and Long Beach
Oct. 25 Thousand Oaks
Nov. 1 Huntington Beach
Nov. 8 Santa Barbara
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