By early this week, over 1,500 people had signed up for Saturday’s 2024 Alzheimer’s Association Walk to End Alzheimer’s at Reid Park Zoo.
Organizers hope to raise $349,000 for Alzheimer’s research from participant donations. On Wednesday, the association reported it already had raised $255,000 of that amount.
Among the participants are two large teams from the University of Arizona: the Sigma Kappa Sorority and Sigma Alpha Mu Fraternity. Both organizations support the Alzheimer’s Association through their philanthropy events and take part in the Walk to End Alzheimer’s every year.
For Sierra Steadman, a UA junior and Sigma Kappa member, the walk is a way for her to honor her grandpa Larry, who lost his life to Alzheimer’s.
“The thing about Alzheimer’s is that it takes your loved one away long before they’re physically gone,” Steadman said. “It took my grandpa away from me long before he passed. I was forced to mourn my wonderful grandpa Larry twice – once when the disease took his spirit, and again when it took his life.”
She described the Walk to End Alzheimer’s as a positive way to deal with her grief.
“It’s a way to honor his memory and to fight for a future where no one has to endure the pain of watching someone they love fade away,” Steadman said. “This walk isn’t just about loss – it’s about hope. Hope for more moments of joy, more memories to hold onto and a future without Alzheimer’s.”
Every year, the Alzheimer’s Association hosts the walk in over 600 communities nationwide to raise awareness and support Alzheimer’s care and research.
In fiscal year 2023, which ended on June 30, 2023, the Alzheimer’s Association raised over $432 million, with more than $374 million from donor contributions, according to the annual report from the Alzheimer’s Association.
As the world’s leading nonprofit funder of Alzheimer’s and dementia research, the association is investing over $360 million in more than 1,000 active projects in 53 countries, Bruce Baude, treasurer of the association’s Board of Directors, said in the report.
Walkers on Saturday, Oct. 26, can choose between a 1- or 3-mile route. Those who finish can plant a flower in the Promise Garden that best represents their connection to Alzheimer’s.
Check-in for the event will begin at 8 a.m., and the walk will start at 9:30.
To register, visit https://act.alz.org/site/TR?sid=23938&type=fr_informational&pg=informational&fr_id=17443.
For more information or to donate, visit https://act.alz.org/site/TR/Walk2024/AZ-DesertSouthwest?pg=entry&fr_id=17443.
Arizona Sonoran News is a news service of the University of Arizona School of Journalism.
