By: Kennedy Campbell

The Alzheimer’s Association hosted the 2022 Walk to End Alzheimer’s on Saturday, September 17th at Meadowbrook Park in Urbana. The Alzheimer’s Association is a 501(c)3 organization focused on supporting the research efforts of Alzheimer’s disease. 287 Participants and 73 Teams participated in Saturday’s walk. The Collaborations in Health, Aging, Research, & Technology (CHART) Division of the College of Applied Health Sciences participated in the 2022 Walk to End Alzheimer’s. The CHART Team participated in the 2-mile walk alongside other community partners and Champaign-Urbana residents. The Alzheimer’s Association raised $90,293, which exceeded the original goal of $80,000. All ages were welcomed to register for the walk. 

The event hosted activities, such as a photo booth presented by Clark Lindsey, and a New Orleans jazz band before the walk began. At the walk, participants were given the opportunity to receive a Promise Garden Flower. The Promise Garden Flowers had options of four colors. Participants living with Alzheimer’s or another dementia received a blue flower. Participants who have lost a someone to the disease received a purple flower. Participants currently supporting or caring for a person living with Alzheimer’s received a yellow flower. Lastly, Participants who support the cause and the Association’s vision of a world without Alzheimer’s and all other dementia received an orange flower. The Garden Ceremony and Walk Warm up followed shortly afterwards. At 10 am, the walk began. 

Hashtags #ENDALZ and #Walk2EndAlz were used to show support for the cause on social media platforms. The CHART Team has raised $585 towards the cause, in addition to walking at the event. The Alzheimer’s Association was founded in 1980 to support Alzheimer’s care, support and research. The Walk to End Alzheimer’s event is the largest event in the fight to end Alzheimer’s. This event is nationwide and is held in more than 600 communities nationwide. The money raised for the cause is used to fund research for Alzheimer’s Disease. The goals of the Alzheimer’s Association include “accelerating global research, driving risk reduction and early detection, and maximizing quality care and support”.  More than 6 million Americans live with Alzheimer’s Disease. According to the Alzheimer’s Disease website, Alzheimer’s kills more than breast cancer and prostate cancer combined.