ANN ARBOR – The Alzheimer's Association held its annual Walk to End Alzheimer's in Washtenaw County on Sunday.
This year, more than 1,000 county-area residents helped raise $185,000 for Alzheimer's care, support and research.
Recommended Videos
Participants gathered at Washtenaw Community College for the event, now in its 27th year. Since it began in 1991, the Walk to End Alzheimer's in Ann Arbor/Ypsilanti has raised close to $2.5 million.
The top fundraiser for this year's walk was Liz Fernandez, from University of Michigan's team Sigma Kappa Alpha Mu. To date, she has raised $15,270 for the cause and is one of the top fundraisers in the country from her sorority.
"We were thrilled to see so many local residents come out to support this year’s event," Maggie Gibbons, senior walk lead for the Alzheimer’s Association, Michigan Great Lakes Chapter said in a statement.
"For me, the highlight of the day was the Promise Garden ceremony, where attendees held different colored pinwheel flowers to represent the diverse reasons they all gathered to participate," she said. "'It’s devastating to look out at a sea of flowers and see how many people are impacted by this disease in different ways, but it’s incredibly inspiring to think that those same people are all working toward our vision of a world without Alzheimer’s."
The Alzheimer's Association estimates that more than 180,000 people are living with the disease in Michigan alone. In the U.S., more than five million residents live with the incurable disease, which is the sixth-leading cause of death in the country.
Want to give? Donations for the Walk will continue to be accepted online through December at alz.org/walk.
About Alzheimer's Association Walk to End Alzheimer's®
The Alzheimer's Association Walk to End Alzheimer's is the world's largest event to raise awareness and funds for Alzheimer’s care, support and research. Since 1989, the Alzheimer’s Association mobilized millions of Americans in the Alzheimer’s Association Memory Walk®; now the Alzheimer's Association is continuing to lead the way with Walk to End Alzheimer's. Together, we can end Alzheimer's.
About Alzheimer's Association®
The Alzheimer's Association is the leading voluntary health organization in Alzheimer's research, care and support. Its mission is to eliminate Alzheimer's disease through the advancement of research; to provide and enhance care and support for all affected; and to reduce the risk of dementia through the promotion of brain health. Its vision is a world without Alzheimer's. Visit alz.org® or call 800-272-3900.
Like what you're reading? Sign up for our email newsletter here!