Q: What has 1,000 or more legs and is purple all over?
A: The 500 or more people who will participate in the Walk to End Alzheimer’s on Saturday, Oct. 27! Registration begins at 8:30 a.m. at the Williamsburg Community Building. The Walk starts at 10 a.m. and will take you on a two-mile walk around the College of William and Mary and next to Colonial Williamsburg.
In 2011, the Williamsburg walk, along with the other walk sites in southeastern Virginia, raised over $447,000. This funding allows the Alzheimer’s Association to provide cost-free services such as our 24/7 Helpline, care consultations, family caregiver training, support groups and respite care subsidy assistance to families in need throughout our 7,400-square-mile service area.
Now, more than ever, we need these services. An estimated 5.4 million Americans of all ages suffer from Alzheimer’s disease, of which 30,000 reside in southeastern Virginia— your neighbors, friends, family and colleagues. This national figure includes 5.2 million people age 65 and over and 200,000 individuals under age 65 who have been diagnosed with younger-onset Alzheimer’s. One in eight people age 65 and over has Alzheimer’s disease, and every 69 seconds someone in the U.S. develops it. Did you know that Alzheimer’s disease is now the sixth leading cause of death?
For 2012, the Williamsburg Walk to End Alzheimer’s has set a goal of raising $64,000 towards the overall southeastern Virginia goal of $460,000 or more. I know we can do it with your support. Join a team or donate to a team between now and November 1 by visiting this URL: http://act.alz.org/2012WB. I hope to see you on October 27!
—Christy Jensen,
Williamsburg Walk to End Alzheimer’s Chair
cjensen@excellenceinaging.org