Walk to End Alzheimer's fills Foster Park
Fifty teams raise more than $33,000 to fight debilitating disease
This article is brought to you by the Committee to Elect Joni Delon.
Hi! I’m Joni DeLon, Councilwoman for District 2 in Kokomo. I'm love our community, and I love helping to make this city a great place to call home! Part of that means working with our local non-profit organizations, like the Kokomo chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association. I walked with you this past weekend and met a lot of caring people.
You are why Kokomo is such a wonderful and generous community. I was proud to walk with you and talk with you, and I hope you will help me continue to have a positive impact on our city by voting for me on Nov. 7. Together, we’ll keep Kokomo caring!
Kokomo’s 2023 Walk to End Alzheimer’s fielded 50 teams of walkers this year with a total of 339 registered participants walking the paths of Foster Park. In a very short time, the groups had raised a total of $33,224 toward finding a cure for this debilitating disease and enjoyed a beautiful day in the park.
Carrying the representative Forget Me Not flower, from “The Promise Garden,” many of the individuals on the walking teams had friends and loved ones who had been affected by Alzheimer’s.
The flowers themselves had meaning depending on their color.
If a walker carried a purple flower, it meant they had lost a loved one to Alzheimer’s. A yellow flower indicated that person was a caregiver to someone with Alzheimer’s, and a blue flower meant that individual was living with Alzheimer’s or another kind of dementia.
An orange flower meant that person was a supporter of the Alzheimer’s Association.
The event host, WWKI’s Tammy Lively, spoke of a friend who had the disease and how it affected her and co-workers. She admitted that it was devastating for her, but she remained optimistic.
“We can beat Alzheimer’s,” stated Lively.
The event featured several vendors, many of which were caregivers to Alzheimer’s patients.
As the teams walked around the paths at Foster Park, they were cheered on by volunteers ringing bells and celebrating with them at the finish line.
See these photos and additional images from the walk by visiting www.kokomolantern.com or the Lantern’s Facebook page or group.