By Mike Kruzman / news@whmi.com


The annual walk to support those affected by memory-related diseases is just a month away.

The 10th Annual Walk to End Alzheimer’s is scheduled for Saturday, October 3rd. This year, due to COVID-19, the event be held as a mixture of in-person and virtual events. Instead of gathering by the hundreds at the Mill Pond in Brighton, organizers are inviting participants to instead tune in on their computers or phones to a virtual opening ceremonies event being held at 10:30am. Following that, walkers are being encouraged to plot their own path with friends and family as they bring awareness to the communities around them. Development Manager from the Alzheimer’s Association Michigan Chapter Nicole Colley has ideas for making the 2020 walk more personalized. For example, if they were a teacher, walk by a school; or if they were a coach, walk by some fields.

Walkers can use the newly updated phone app to hear celebrity champions giving encouragement, listen to different audio tracks, and take pictures with special frames. Following the walk, participants can hop in their car and drive to a pair of flower gardens that staff has pre-planted with hundreds of flowers, safely viewable from inside your vehicle. The main one will be at the Maltby-Hornung parking lot in Brighton, with a second, slightly smaller one at the courthouse lawn in downtown Howell.

The Walk is the Alzheimer’s Association’s biggest fundraiser of the year. Money raised supports free educational programming, support groups, 1-on-1 care consultation, and their 27/7 helpline. Those who register by Thursday, September 3rd with $100 of support will receive this year’s Walk t-shirt in the mail in time for the event. Those who register later will still receive the shirt, just at a later date.

You can find out more about the walk this Sunday at 8:30am when Colley will be a guest on WHMI's Viewpoint program.

Sign up at http://act.alz.org/brighton