Press release:
The Alzheimer’s Association Walk to End Alzheimer’s is the nation’s largest event to raise awareness and funds for Alzheimer’s care, support and research programs. Across Western New York, there are six such walks scheduled, including Sept. 27 in Batavia. The approximately two-mile walk starts and ends at the Genesee County Nursing Home on Bank Street.
“We are both proud and pleased that the Genesee County Walk to End Alzheimer's has seen such tremendous growth over the past few years, more than doubling in size!” says Lynn Westcott, the development director for the Alzheimer’s Association WNY Chapter.
“Residents and businesses have been kind, generous and supportive, showing they care about those who have been touched by this disease.”
The Genesee County Walk Committee was invaluable in enlisting the support of local businesses through sponsorships and basket raffle donations, and helping promote the walk within the towns and villages.
The Walk is open to everyone and registration is a fast and simple process: simply log-on to www.alz.org/WNY or call 1.800.272.3900. Site check-in and day-of registration begins at 9 a.m., the opening ceremony starts at 10 and the walk gets under way at 10:10.
Everyone who registers to walk receives a nylon pinwheel flower as a remembrance of the day. The flowers come in four colors and symbolize the various reasons to participate. For instance, a purple flower means “I’ve lost someone to the disease.” Often, personal messages are written on the flowers before they are “planted” in the Promise Garden at the site, which is a visual representation of the pledge to remember, to honor, to care and to fight Alzheimer’s disease. The flowers are retrieved at the end of the event to take home.
There is no fee to register, but fundraising is strongly encouraged to ensure the Chapter can continue to provide local resources for the roughly 8,000 Genesee County residents who are directly impacted by Alzheimer’s. There are incentives for reaching certain fundraising goals, and participants have until Oct. 31 to raise money to qualify.
The WNY Walk to End Alzheimer’s is made possible through the support of these sponsors: Elderwood, West Herr Toyota, Tim Horton’s and WCJW.
