COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa (KMTV) — You can help make a difference in the lives of millions this weekend at the Council Bluffs Walk to End Alzheimer's. It's Saturday, October 4 at Iowa Western Community College. 3 News Now's Zach Williamson, who has lost two grandfathers to Alzheimers disease and has an uncle suffering from dementia now, will serve as the emcee for the third consecutive year.
- According to the Alzheimer's Association, more than 7 million Americans are living with Alzheimer's, and nearly 12 million provide unpaid care.
- All money raised goes to supporting those with Alzheimer's and the people caring for them, along with funding critical research to discover new treatments and one day a cure.
- “We’re closer than we’ve ever been to getting to the point where we have a cure."
- To register, donate and learn more — click here.
- If you can't make it this weekend, you can find information on the Greater Omaha Walk to End Alzheimer's (Sunday, October 12) at the bottom of this article.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
Raising money to support the millions of Americans with Alzheimer's disease or dementia, and their families caring for them, while funding research to discover new treatmentsand one day a cure.
That’s what the Walk to End Alzheimer's is all about.
I’m here at Iowa Western Community College ahead of the Council Bluffs Walk, where I will serve as the emcee for the third consecutive year.
It's a cause I hold close to my heart. I’ve lost two grandfathers to Alzheimer's and have an uncle suffering from dementia now.
Walk Manager Libby Hiers and Event Experience Char Tiffany Eggett have lost loved ones to Alzheimer's too. Both also worked with patients in care facilities.
They spent Wednesday rallying students on campus to join the cause.
“We have got to find a cure because it is an absolutely devastating disease," Eggett said. "To watch someone go from active and vibrant to just struggling to remember how to do the simplest of things.”
“We’re closer than we’ve ever been to getting to the point where we have a cure," Hiers said. "There are different treatments and things like that, so this is definitely important in getting us to where we need to be.”
Eggett added, “I would challenge anybody to come to the understanding that you may think you might not be affected by this and just out of nowhere you could be.”
Help us make a difference.
The walk is this Saturday at Iowa Western’s Marshall Wellness Center. Registration begins at 9 a.m., with the powerful Promise Garden Ceremony starting at 10 a.m. The walk will then follow.
There will be local businesses and resources on hand to support Alzheimer’s patients and their families, along with food trucks and fun for the kids.
Donate, register and learn more by clicking here.
If you can’t make it this weekend, the Greater Omaha Walk returns next weekend in our Aksarben neighborhood. It starts at 9 a.m. on Sunday, October 12 at the College of Saint Mary Flames Fieldhouse.
