I find myself constantly racking my brain to remember that one thing that one person said and at the most bizarre moment, usually mid sentence of a very important topic, it comes to me. My friends have become accustomed to my awful memory; however, I usually remember what I wanted to say, or my math homework for the night. Many people, 5.5 million to be exact, don’t have this ability, for they suffer from Alzheimer’s disease, which impairs ones memory, reasoning and thinking, one’s personality, and much more. With no cure for this disease, research is still ongoing, and multiple organizations are actively donating to the cause. One organization, Alzheimer’s Association, is hosting a yearly event called, “Walk to End Alzheimer’s” this Saturday, November 11, 2017. With over 3,500 participants and a goal to raise $645,000.00, all people are encouraged to attend and walk to support those suffering with Alzheimer’s.

Mrs. Craft, current Algebra 1, Geometry, and Calculus BC teacher, participated in the “Walk to End Alzheimer’s” on Saturday, November 11. During an interview with Mrs. Craft, she explained it is a yearly event, but she has only known about it for three or four years. With all allowed to participate, and the proceeds going to funding the research on finding a cure, it provides hope for those suffering from this disease that the cure will soon be found. Mrs. Craft continued by saying the Math Club, which she sponsors, participated with her in this event; in total, about 20 members joined her, with a total of about 8,500 volunteers. She expressed that a fellow math teacher she knows was recently diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, and since her Math Club dedicates 10 service hours a year, they were excited to participate in this event for the second time. During the walk, the volunteers and sponsors collected contact “from those interested in Study Match, which is a program that matches dementia patients with appropriate studies”. They also were involved with setting up for the race and cleaning up after, and the Math Club volunteered for a total of four hours.

The Walk, held in downtown Phoenix, has two major traditions. The first is to encourage participants to join and create teams to walk with. These teams raise money for the cause, and if a team raises $50 or more, they receive a t-shirt; however, the goal is to raise as much money as possible to help researchers find a cure for this disease. Mrs. Craft and the Math Club joined the team called Grace and Dignity because Mrs. Craft is familiar with the team and the team’s captain. By the end of the Walk, the team raised $7079.20, and the Walk as a whole raised $466,660.16. The second tradition encourages the participants to wear purple for Alzheimer’s awareness and to carry colored flowers as they walk. These flowers have different meanings and four different colors a represented. A blue flower is carried by someone who suffers from Alzheimer’s, yellow represents a person who supports or cares for one who has the disease, purple symbolizes someone who has lost a person due to Alzheimer’s, and orange is for all those who support the finding a cure and “a vision of a world without Alzheimer’s”.

Multiple other walks are held on different dates all throughout the country, including others located in Arizona. If you are interested in signing up for an event, the website ” act.alz.org ” is the way to get involved with these events.

Furthermore, if you, or someone you know, has, or has family, suffering from Alzheimer’s disease, a hotline is available 24/7 and offers support to people who have memory loss, their caregivers, locate health care professionals, and assist anyone who is interested in learning more about the disease. The number is 1.800.272.3900.

http://act.alz.org/site/PageServer