Join the Walk to End Alzheimer’s

The 2025 Walk to End Alzheimer’s-Ithaca/Cortland will take place Oct. 25 at Ithaca College, raising funds for the Alzheimer’s Association, Central New York, a nonprofit 501(c)3 organization dedicated to the fight against Alzheimer’s.

“My favorite part is the opening ceremony,” Brigid Regin, development manager for the Alzheimer’s Association, Central New York, said 

She explained that the event includes a promise garden; participants are invited to “pick” out of the ground a pinwheel flower of the color that best represents their relationship to Alzheimer’s and dementia: purple for those who have lost somebody, red for caregivers, blue for those currently living with the disease, and orange for those who support the association’s mission to create a world without Alzheimer’s and dementia.

The event opens at 9 a.m. at Ithaca College, and the opening ceremony starts at 10 a.m.

“That’s when participants can roam around, take a look at the vendors, and pick up their flower that resembles them,” Regin said. “They can sign it and personalize it if they like, or sign it in someone’s honor, if they’d like.”

At the ceremony, a representative of each color of flower says a few words. There is one white flower, reserved for a child who represents the first person to be cured of Alzheimer’s.

“It’s really special, seeing all the flowers together in this full-circle, cute moment,” Regin said.

Then everyone throws their flowers into the air, and the walk begins.

This year’s goal for the Ithaca/Cortland walk is to have 215 participants. Last year they were just shy of 200, and as of last week, 163 people were signed up, Regin said.

The goal for donations is $60,000, and they are currently at a little over $20,000.

“Last year we ended at just around $45,000, and our goal was $50,000, so we were close last year,” Regin said.

Those who would like to participate in the walk can sign up to start a team, join a team or walk as an individual at https://shorturl.at/hSiXU.

All of the money raised goes to the Alzheimer’s Association of Central New York to support research, free programs and services, and advocacy.

There will be tables with vendors and sponsors, as well as tables with information about programs and services the association has to offer.

The association’s offices are located in East Syracuse, and the district covers 14 counties, including Tompkins.

“Even though we don’t have a physical location in Tompkins County, we’re there almost every day, helping out as much as possible,” Regin said.

“We encourage any person to come and join us, even if they don’t have a direct connection [to Alzheimer’s or dementia], it’s a way for us to show how you can help us out with volunteer opportunities,” she added.  

People often feel a stigma associated with dementia and Alzheimer’s disease, and it’s nice to know that you’re part of a community, Regin said.

“When you’re walking around the venue, and you have a flower in your hand, it makes you feel comfortable enough to go up to people and relate to them, and it’s unfortunate how common it is, but you are not alone in this. You have millions of people around you, willing to help and spread awareness.”

The association has support groups that are just for caregivers, and it allows them to “get out of the house for an hour and a half, relax, and vent to each other,” Regin said. “We bring them to the zoo and other places, just to get their mind off of things.”

“It’s a huge support group,” she added.  

Over 7 million Americans are living with Alzheimer’s, and one in three older adults dies with Alzheimer’s or another dementia.

Nearly 12 million Americans provide unpaid care for people with Alzheimer’s or other dementias, totalling 19 billion hours of care valued at nearly $413 billion.

“It takes such a toll,” Regin said of Alzheimer’s and dementia, “not only on the people living with the diseases, but the people around them.”

To find out more about the Alzheimer’s Association’s Central New York Chapter and the services it provides, visit alz.org/cny.