|
|||||||||||||
Printer-Friendly
Email this Story
Post a Comment (0)
Alzheimer's Walk is Saturday
More than 400 people are expected in Old Town on Saturday for the Alzheimer’s Association’s Prince William County Walk. Association spokesman Cindy Schelhorn said on Tuesday that the organization has already raised $51,370 and is hoping to total $55,000 by the weekend.While participants are encouraged to raise money, anyone can participate, with or without the fundraising.
Courtney Tierney, director of the Prince William Agency on Aging, is walking with the team called PWC. That's “People Who Care,” she said, noting that the team is made up primarily of Prince William County employees and their families and friends.
As the head of the Agency on Aging, Tierney works closely not just with Alzheimer's patients, but also with their families and caregivers.
“I think Alzheimer's touches everyone in a personal way because if you haven't had someone in your family who had it, you probably have had someone else who has,” she said. “It is a terrible disease and it lasts a really long time.”
Frank Priest echoed her sentiments. He got involved in the fight against Alzheimer's when his mother, Lilla Priest, developed the disease. As a worker in an assisted living facility, he sees residents caught in the “black hole” of Alzheimer's and other memory disorders.
“All diseases are sad, but I tried understand how 'lucky' people are that actually know about their diseases and that they have the ability to understand them while under the effects of their diseases,” he wrote in an email. “With Alzheimer's, your mind is not there after a while and I realized how frustrated they must be not to be able to understand.”
Tierney, Priest and Schelhorn are among the hundreds of walkers who will take to the streets on Saturday.
As of Tuesday, 58 teams had registered for the event. With several days left to go, the association has already passed last year's total of 42 teams, 310 walkers and $44,000.
Walkers can choose a one-mile or three-mile walk through Old Town. The event will also include entertainment, information and food by Chick-Fil-A and Uno's.
Registration begins at 8 a.m. and the walk starts at 9 a.m. at the Harris Pavilion, 9201 Center St.
To register as a walker or to make donations, visit www.alz.org/nca.
For details, call 703-359-4440.
You must be logged in to post a comment.