PORT ANGELES — Teams already have raised $11,790 for the Alzheimer’s Association, and more donations are expected as people participate in Sunday’s Walk to End Alzheimer’s.
The 1.5-mile walk from and back to The Gateway pavilion at Front and Lincoln streets will begin with registration opening at noon. A Promise Garden ceremony is planned at 1 p.m. and the walk will begin at 1:30 p.m.
Sixteen teams already have raised money for support, care and research through the national nonprofit, amassing 45 percent of a goal of $26,000 by Thursday morning.
Top fundraising teams are Team PA, $2,010; Bob and Pat Le Roy, $2,000; Soroptimist of Port Angeles, $1,039; Team Brady, $716; and Team St. Luke’s, $650. Individuals such as Jennifer Ciarlo and Nancy McDaniel already have raised $700 or more, while Edward Jones has donated $2,695, Soroptimist International $1,039 and Home Instead Senior Care $535.
Participation in the walk is free of charge.
Registration and donations can be made online at http://tinyurl.com/PDN-alzheimerswalkPA or in person the day of the walk at The Gateway.
The walk is family-oriented, organizers said, and people are encouraged to bring their pets.
The Walk to End Alzheimer’s is held nationwide.
In 2016, the North Olympic Peninsula Walk raised $18,867, contributing to more than $82 million raised nationwide for care, support and research efforts for those impacted by Alzheimer’s.
Walk to End Alzheimer’s participants will learn about Alzheimer’s disease, advocacy opportunities, clinical studies enrollment and support programs and services. Walk participants also honor those affected by Alzheimer’s disease with the Promise Garden ceremony.
On the day of the walk, each registered participant receives a wristband and a Promise Garden flower. They can choose the color that best represents their connection to the disease and can write a personal message on it if they choose.
Blue represents a person with Alzheimer’s or dementia. Purple is for a person who has lost a loved one to the disease. Yellow represents someone who is currently supporting or caring for a person with Alzheimer’s. Orange is for everyone who supports the vision of a world without Alzheimer’s.
A new color this year is white. That color represents the hope for the first survivor of Alzheimer’s.
There is no treatment or prevention for Alzheimer’s at present, said Cory Townsend of Seattle, a member of the Alzheimer’s Association.
The white flower “signifies our hope for a first survivor of Alzheimer’s disease.”
For more information, see http://tinyurl.com/PDN-alzheimerswalkPA.
