Walk to End Alzheimer’s Raises Money and Hope

  • By Teri Stein
  • September 14, 2013
  • 401
                        
Summary: The annual Walk to End Alzheimer’s, held at the Performing Arts Center in New Philadelphia, took on a colorful hue this year at a ceremony honoring the participants. It was a bittersweet event for Cindy Baker of the Alzheimer’s Association as she bade farewell to the 220 walkers at this year’s Walk to End Alzheimer’s held at the Performing Arts Center in New Philadelphia on Sat. Sept. 14. The event was Baker’s last official duty for the Alzheimer’s Association before she leaves to take another position. The event was bittersweet for others as well. “Alzheimer’s doesn’t always affect the person with the disease, whole families can be affected,” said Baker as she welcomed the crowd. “Each of us has a story and a reason why we are here today.” The lobby of the Performing Arts Center turned into a rainbow of colors at the Promise Garden Ceremony where participants held different colored flowers to indicate the reason they were there. A purple flower meant “I have lost someone to Alzheimer’s,” an orange flower meant “I support the cause and a vision of a world without Alzheimer’s,” a yellow flower stood for “I am supporting or caring for someone with Alzheimer’s,” and a blue flower stood for “I have Alzheimer’s.” A local family, the Levengood’s, were honored at the event this year. James Levengood has served as the primary caregiver for his wife Linda, who was diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer’s about six years ago when she was in her early 60s. The couple have one son, Adam, who spoke at the event on behalf of his family. “Volunteering and giving back to the community has been a lifelong passion for my Mom,” said Adam noting that the depth of her service was obvious in the turnout of her family and friends at the event. “While my Mom’s distinct laugh and take charge personality have dimmed over the past couple of years due to this, well frankly, stupid disease, it is a great feeling for our family to know that she can still create positive change,” said Adam. In honor of Linda, her family and friends started their own team, Sergeant Linda, to raise funds to end Alzheimer’s. The Sergeant Linda team raised $4,445 this year to come in third place among the team competition. The Wacky Walkers team was second with $5,657, and Team Murphy, in memory of Diane M. Murphy, raised $7,271, with more to be turned in said a team member. The top three corporate teams contributed additional funds with Hennis Care Center raising $400; the Country Club Retirement Center raised $600; and the Schoenbrunn Health Care team took top honors with $746. The total raised at the event was approximately $30,000. Beverly Dessecker of Hennis Care Center donated a chalk drawing of a bouquet of tulips to raffle at the event. Sixty percent of the funds raised at the walk stay in the county to support the many free services available to Alzheimer’s patients and their families, while forty percent goes to the national organization for Alzheimer’s research. “We need to end this disease; we need to stick together,” said Mike Scholles of the Hennis Care Center team.


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