Walk to End Alzheimer’s event raises over $100,000
With 149 teams and 1,016 people, the local Alzheimer’s Association exceeded its participation goal for the 2017 Walk to End Alzheimer’s during the North Harris/Montgomery County event Oct. 7.
As of Oct. 11 nearly $113,000 of the $160,000 goal had been raised to help fund research on the debilitating disease. Donations still are being accepted online at alz.org through Dec. 31. Alzheimer’s is the sixthleading cause of death with no prevention or cure.
Jo Smith, chairperson of the walk, said participation was up from 2016. Smith has been involved with the walk since 2011 and has served on the committee for the past three years in various roles. This was her first year as chairperson.
Smith became involved with the Alzheimer’s Association after her father was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. She wanted to do something to help her family and help others who are affected so she began to volunteer with the organization.
“It was all because of my dad and the disease,” Smith said. “My family was fortunate. We had the means financially to support his care, but so many people don’t and I just felt like that was important to me.”
She chose to join the Alzheimer’s Association because of its record with fundraising and research. It is the No. 1 nonprofit organization that conducts research for treatment and finding a cure, she said.
Smith has served as an ambassador for federal advocacy and works with U.S. Rep. Kevin Brady, RThe Woodlands, traveling to Washington, D.C., once a year to advocate on Capitol Hill to get the government to release funds for research to the National Institutes of Health. Smith also recently was elected to the Board of Directors for the Alzheimer’s Association.
More than 5 million Americans are affected by Alzheimer’s, and 360,000 of them are in Texas.
“You probably know someone, but they may not formally have been diagnosed,” Smith said. “Diagnosis is very important.”
The greatest impact on families, and even on those who do not know anyone with Alzheimer’s, is the cost. The disease costs the nation $259 billion. In 2017, for every $100 spent on funding Alzheimer’s research, $12,500 is spent by Medicare and Medicaid caring for those with the disease. Care for Alzheimer’s patients accounts for 19 percent of Medicare spending, and that figure is projected to be 38 percent by 2050.
“If you don’t have someone directly affected with the disease, you’re still going to be affected because our health care system cannot support it,” Smith said.
She added that funding given for cancer and AIDS research has helped reduce the amount of deaths from those diseases and believes Alzheimer’s research requires more funding to help find a treatment and cure.
“We need to find a cure, and where we’re going to find that cure is with the research,” Smith said.
Walks like the one Oct. 7 help raise funds and also raise awareness of the disease. They educate people about Alzheimer’s and services by the association available to those who are affected. The nonprofit provides financial planning, helps find a memory care facility or simply offers someone to talk and provide emotional support. Family members of those with Alzheimer’s can reach the organization at the 24-hour hotline, 800272-3900.
“Obviously it’s a devastating disease, but families and caregivers find comfort in the support,” Smith said.
Seventy-nine percent of funds raised from the annual Walk to End Alzheimer’s event goes toward care, support and awareness, while 15 percent gets invested into next year’s walk, and only 6 percent goes to administration fees.
The association already is looking for additional corporate and team sponsors, particularly local sponsors in The Woodlands, for next year’s walk. Sponsors agree to give a certain amount of money and are then recognized at the event. Among the sponsors this year were Edward Jones, the Walk to End Alzheimer’s National Presenting Sponsor, Anadarko Petroleum Corporation, Silverado Senior Living, Villa Sports Athletic Club/ Spa and Woodhaven Village Senior Living.
Volunteers who will go out into the community and ask businesses and churches to start teams are also being sought. This year, the committee was short a few members and the organization would like to fill them for next year. If interested in volunteering, contact Sarah Stephan at sstephan@alz.org.