Walk to End Alzheimer’s set for Saturday

The Bakersfield Walk to End Alzheimer’s is scheduled to take place Saturday, albeit with a slightly different look.

The annual event, which typically attracts hundreds each year to raise awareness and funds to fight Alzheimer’s disease, is encouraging participants to walk as individuals or in small groups on sidewalks, tracks and trails throughout Bakersfield.

According to a news release from the organization, an Opening Ceremony on Saturday will feature local speakers and a presentation of Promise Flowers to honor the personal reasons participants join together to fight Alzheimer’s and all other dementia. The ceremony will be delivered to participants on their smartphones, tablets and computers.

The news release also states that a small group of Alzheimer’s Association staff and volunteers will create the iconic Promise Garden in a “view only” format Saturday to honor all those impacted by Alzheimer’s.

More than 5 million Americans are living with Alzheimer’s disease — the sixth-leading cause of death in the United States, according to the release. Additionally, more than 16 million family members and friends provide care to people living with Alzheimer’s and other dementia.

The release states that in California alone, there are more than 690,000 people living with the disease and 1.6 million caregivers.

Visit alz.org/walk to register and receive the latest updates on this year’s Walk to End Alzheimer’s.

Taft College has been awarded $2.1 million for its program that helps students with intellectual disabilities transition

to independent living.

Transition to Independent Living director Aaron Markovits said in a statement that these funds will help the college support students in taking regular college classes that will prepare them for better jobs when they graduate.

The grant will be used over a five-year period. Federal funding accounts for 75 percent of the grant, and the rest comes from non-governmental sources.

For more information about Taft College’s Transition to Independent Living program, visit http:// www.taftcollege.edu/til/.