The Walk To End Alzheimer’s needs more sponsors in Poplar Bluff

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Poplar Bluff area residents are invited to participate in the world’s largest fundraiser for Alzheimer’s care, support and research, The Walk To End Alzheimer’s.

Registration begins at 9 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 17, and the ceremony begins at 10 a.m. It will be held in McLane Park, located at 474 Highway W. Walkers will begin at 10:30 a.m.

According to Jacob Simburger, communications manager for the Alzheimer’s Association, so far the event has 10 teams signed up, which means they are at about 40% of their goal for participants this year.

“We are still looking for sponsors and participants, we are trying to make this the biggest one yet,” said Simburger.

Due to COVID, the walk has met some challenges in recent years, but Simburger said this year’s participation is comparable to that of last year.

A Promise Garden ceremony to honor those who have been affected by Alzheimer’s will kick off the event. Each flower color is representative of how the disease has personally affected participants.

Blue represents someone living with Alzheimer’s or another form of dementia, purple represents an individual who has lost someone to the disease, yellow represents a person who is currently supporting or caring for someone living with Alzheimer’s and orange represents a participant who supports the cause. Simburger said, “The garden ceremony is one of the more powerful moments of the event.”

The walk, which is held annually in more than 600 communities nationwide, raises money to assist in the care, support and research efforts of the Alzheimer’s Association.

According to the Alzheimer’s Association website, there are more than 6 million Americans who are living with the disease, one in three seniors dies with that or another form of dementia and it kills more than breast cancer and prostate cancer combined, now making Alzheimer’s the leading cause of death in the United States.

Founded in 1980, the Alzheimer’s Association states on its website it is the leading voluntary health organization in Alzheimer’s care, support and research.

The website explains how the disease leads to nerve cell death and tissue loss in the brain and how the brain dramatically shrinks as the disease advances, which affects nearly all functions.

To register to receive the latest updates on any nearby Walk to End Alzheimer’s visit alz.org/walk.