Southern Utah Memory Walk Just Keeps Getter Better
The Southern Utah Memory Walk was a huge success.
Saturday, November 8th was a day to remember on many levels. The Southern Utah Memory Walk enjoyed its largest crowd ever and met its fundraising goal despite these tough economic times.
Since I used to coordinate this walk to raise awareness and funds for Alzheimer’s disease, the event holds a special place in my heart. Since leaving my post at the Alzheimer’s Association to pursue a writing career, I’ve wanted nothing but the best for this special office in the Southwest corner of Utah. I don’t have children, but I often say that I want for the Southern Utah Alzheimer’s Association what parents say they want for their kids: To have greater success than they had, and to thrive under better circumstances.
This wish was answered on Saturday. Although LuAnn Lundquist, who now directs the Southern Utah Alzheimer’s Association, said that 200 participants were expected, close to 400 supporters showed up! One of the largest teams was a group of students from Tuacahn High School for the Performing Arts, who had so much fun that they decided to make Alzheimer’s disease their cause of choice and offered to help the local Alzheimer’s Association organize a gala next year. Why did they have so much fun? Here’s just a short list of everything that Memory Walk had to offer this year:
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A one-mile walk in a beautiful setting
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A memory garden honoring loved ones with Alzheimer’s disease
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Door prizes and creative awards
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A resource fair with free health screenings
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Musical entertainment (including bagpipes!)
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A caregiver recognition ceremony
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A proclamation and poem from the Mayor of St. George, Utah
I’ll be writing about many of these things in the weeks to come, but I’m listing them here to emphasize just how much is possible when you get a small group of dedicated people together. Many of the people who helped me organize Memory Walk are now helping LuAnn and remain as enthusiastic as ever about the cause. It just keeps getting better, which is how it should be.
Thank you again for a wonderful newsletter about Alzheimer’s disease. Your strong dedication and superior education continues to help people in your community and now across the nation. Thank you for all that you do to promote our cause and to help caregivers.