This year, the Walk to End Alzheimer’s is everywhere — on every sidewalk, track and trail according to the Alzheimer’s Association website.
“October 31 is the walk date. At 10 a.m. we will livestream the opening ceremony and we encourage participants, friends and family to gather around whatever streaming device they have and watch the ceremony,” Carly Dethlefs, director of Arkansas’ Walk, said. “And then after watching the opening ceremony, we are encouraging participants to just get out and walk.”
Held annually in more than 600 communities nationwide, the Alzheimer’s Association Walk to End Alzheimer’s is the world’s largest fundraiser for Alzheimer’s care, support and research, according to their website.
Carly Dethlefs, whose grandfather died from complications associated with Alzheimer’s, got involved at a young age with fundraising around more research and education on Alzheimer’s disease. It is an illness that destroys memory and other important mental functions that gradually worsens over time. According to the Alzheimer’s Association, over 50 million people worldwide are living with the disease.
Though the Walk to End Alzheimer’s will be a virtual affair because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Dethlefs emphasized the importance of still giving participants the same special experience they would get if they were part of the traditional annual gathering. To help do that, the Alzheimer’s Association has done a lot to revamp the phone app that participants can use the day of the walk.
“We have some wonderful enhancements in our Walk to End Alzheimer’s app. We have a built in step tracker. There are built in routes with cool celebrity champion stories that I really think will make the walk even better,” Dethlefs said. “You can walk in your neighborhood, park, trail, sidewalk; whatever makes the most sense for you and your family to participate, be safe and have fun while doing it,” Dethlefs added.
A popular feature of the walk will remain this year. The Promise Garden, a garden featuring exuberant pinwheel flowers, will be on display in El Dorado the day of the Walk for participants to drive by and still cherish the importance of each color represented in the Promise Garden.
“A purple flower is symbolic of someone who has lost a loved one to Alzheimer’s disease. An orange flower is symbolic of a participant that envisions a world without Alzheimer’s. A yellow flower represents a caregiver of someone with the disease. A blue flower represents those that are currently living with Alzheimer’s,” Carly Dethlefs explained.
The location of the Promise Garden will be made available on their website, closer to or on the date of the walk.
The Walk to End Alzheimer’s was brought to El Dorado in 2018. El Dorado is one of five communities that participate in the Walk in the state of Arkansas.
According to Dethlefs, there was a true need for more programs and services in the community around the disease, but it was also the efforts of one local that inspired the Arkansas Chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association to bring a walk to El Dorado.
Kelley Rogers’ father, Joe Nash, died from early onset Alzheimer’s in 2014. He retired as Captain from the El Dorado Fire Department after 20 years of service and retired from the Union County Sheriff’s Office in 2006 after 10 years of service. He was just in his 50s.
After his death, Rogers participated in the Walk to End Alzheimer’s in Little Rock, where she and her team became the biggest fundraisers that year.
“So when we brought the walk to El Dorado, she (Rogers) chaired the walk, along with another community member, and has continued to just be a strong advocate in El Dorado for Alzheimer’s education and awareness,” Carly Dethlefs shared.
Donations are encouraged and welcomed. To register, and for more information on the 2020 Walk to End Alzheimer’s — South Arkansas, visit act.alz.org. The Walk mobile app can be found on the Apple app store or on Google Play.