Alzheimer’s fight brings large crowd to Ben Geren
by June 8, 2009 8:48 am 94 views
story and photos by Linda Kaufenberg
More than 450 walkers and dogs of all ages gathered Saturday morning at Ben Geren Park to take steps to end Alzheimer’s by participating in the 15th Annual Memory Walk.
The Alzheimer’s Association Memory Walk is the nation’s largest event to raise awareness and funds for Alzheimer care, support and research – and it calls on volunteers of all ages to become champions in the fight against this fatal disease. Since 1989, Memory Walk nationwide has raised more than $260 million.
Drew Michaels, 40/29 meteorologist and emcee for the event, announced that the goal for this year’s walk, $60,000, was exceeded by several thousand dollars.
Fort Smith Mayor Ray Baker,co-chairman of the walk with Van Buren Mayor Bob Freeman, read from a proclamation and noted, “There is no cure at this time for Alzheimer’s Disease and that it is the sixth leading cause for death. As walkers, you are taking us one step closer to finding a cure.”
“This year, we put forth the effort to have more participation in the walk from people living in the Van Buren area,” said Beth Deramus, assistant director at the Alzheimer’s Association.
Memory Walk is a community event that joins friends, family and co-workers as they walk to end Alzheimer’s. Participants typically register in teams of 10-12 and fundraise using tools supported by the Alzheimer’s Association.
Awards were presented to those raising the most money.
• First Place: Glen Tankersley raised $7,060. He was a member of the MAD (Making a Difference) Team.
• Second Place: Walk McCoy collected $3,528 and was a member of Golden Living’s IT department team, Move It.
• Third Place: Maxine’s Misfits raised $3,100.
Most Spirited awards went to:
• First Place: Elizabeth Beam and her dog Chance, Mary Gene McConnell Team.
• Second Place: Maxine Myers, Maxine’s Misfits Team
• Third Place: Jenny Kilgore, Crawford Healthcare and Rehabilitation Team
