By Kymberly Snew
Published: October 18, 2009

By Kymberly Snew
Daily Titan Asst. News Editor

Friends, families and volunteers were on the move to end Alzheimer’s disease. The Memory Walk held at Cal State Fullerton on Oct. 17 was hosted by the Alzheimer’s Association to raise awareness and funds for Alzheimer’s care, support and research. Since 1989, Memory Walk has raised more than $260 million for the cause; Saturday’s event raised a total of $246,896 in donations.

The morning walk was kicked off by a live jazz band as walkers warmed-up at the starting line. The two mile scenic route around the CSUF campus was led by Travis Ranch, who is in color guard.

Volunteer cheerleaders were stationed throughout the course of the walk to encourage the participants with their signs, songs and chants to keep them energized.

“It’s so wonderful to see all these people come out; they ask me when they can give donations. It’s amazing they want to donate with this economy right now,” said Vicky Koerner, a volunteer for the Alzheimer’s Association. “They are just celebrating this terrible disease, and hopefully we will be able to conquer it one of these days.”

The Alzheimer’s Association depends on over 300 volunteers to help organize the walk. Among these are CSUF students who participate as walkers or volunteers. Sorority groups and members of the Greek system walk to raise money and awareness for Alzheimer’s disease.

“Our philanthropy for Sigma Kappa is Alzheimer’s research and our main event is the Memory Walk every year,” said Karlie Carlson, president of CSUF Sigma Kappa Sorority. “This year we are super excited because Sigma Kappa chapters from UC Riverside and Cal Poly Pomona are both here as well; it’s a good time to meet people and have fun while spending time together.”

Many volunteers walk to create awareness and celebrate the lives of loved ones who have passed or those who are still dealing with Alzheimer’s disease.

Beverly Newton is one of the volunteers who has been directly impacted by the effects of the disease and has served on the board of directors for the Alzheimer’s Association for about five years.

“My mother had Alzheimer’s disease and was diagnosed in 1994. We noticed her behavior was changing at the age of 65,” Newton said. “As the sole care manager of my mother, I made changes in my career path because someone needed to be around to take care of her financially, medically and mentally. It was very difficult.”

Newton’s mother passed away at 90. “My mother was a teacher and one of the lessons that she taught me was that when we learn lessons in life, try to share those lessons with other people. After she passed away, I joined the Alzheimer’s Association to volunteer and to honor my mother.”
The Alzheimer’s Association provides services free of charge to families: a 24-hour help line, care consultations, and skilled social workers are available for therapy to meet with the families and go through every stage of the disease with them.

“One of the things about our organization that excites people a lot is they think all of our money goes towards research, but when they find out that 75 cents on the dollar stays right here in Orange County to support the families who are living with the disease, they get really excited about that,” said Nicole Balsamo, senior relationship manager of the Alzheimer’s Association.

“The best part about working with the organization … I ran into someone in the bathroom and I said, ‘Thank you so much for being here,’ and she got tears in her eyes and said, ‘Thank you guys for doing this for us.’ It’s realizing that it is a really great gift for the families, and it’s an honor working for them,” Balsamo said.

Andres Hernandez, a member of the organization Steps of Hope, came to support members in the group who are dealing with Alzheimer’s disease. Steps of Hope has over 2,000 members from various cities in Orange County.

Once Hernandez crossed the finish line he said, “The walk was long, but we raised money as an organization in order to contribute to the Alzheimer’s Association.”

Mallory Gompert, associate director of Development for the Alzheimer’s Association, said that Memory Walk is their largest fundraiser. Over 66,000 individuals are affected by Alzheimer’s or related memory loss disorders in Orange County. They seek to serve those individuals and their families as well as professionals in the senior care industry.

“It amazes me. So many of the volunteers I work with every day have been touched by this disease,” Gompert said.

Over 60 exhibitors who sponsor the cause attended the walk. Corporate supporters such as Kaiser Permanente, CalOptima and Silverado Senior Living provided information for visitors and handouts to those battling the disease.

All of the proceeds for the walk go directly to serve the Alzheimer’s Association’s mission, which is “to provide programs, services, education, advocacy and fund research dollars for Alzheimer’s disease,” Gompert said.

“The biggest risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease is age, and as we have our baby boomer population aging, the projections for the disease are pretty astounding,” Gompert said. “It reconfirms that we need to redouble our efforts to raise awareness about this disease and to provide the programs, services and research to combat the disease.”