The Walk to End Alzheimer’s in Durango on Saturday was the area’s largest and most successful fundraiser yet, with over 250 participants and more than $32,000 raised.
Former Colorado House District 59 representative Barbara McLachlan and Valerie Lombardi, vice president of development of the Alzheimer’s Association’s Colorado chapter, spoke before the walk along the Animas River Trail began at Rotary Park.
Lombardi said there are 91,000 people living with Alzheimer’s disease in Colorado, and the turnout to the walk on Saturday morning was inspiring.
“I'm in awe of the strength and determination of our community,” she said.
The Walk to End Alzheimer’s is the single largest Alzheimer’s support event of the year because it brings people who have Alzheimer’s or loved ones with it together and raises awareness.
“It's because you walk that we can deliver 24/7 care and support advocate fearlessly for people facing the disease, and fuel groundbreaking research across the globe, ushering in a new era of treatment and quality care,” she said.
Participants carried differently colored flowers, each color representing one’s experience with Alzheimer’s.
Purple flowers were carried by people who have had a loved one with Alzheimer’s die. People carrying yellow flowers were caregivers for someone living with Alzheimer’s or another form of dementia.
Blue flowers were for people living with someone with Alzheimer’s or another form of dementia, and people carrying orange flowers were simply there to support the cause.
McLachlan said she is walking for her sister-in-law who has Alzheimer’s and lives in Australia. They haven’t communicated in years. Her brother is her caregiver and they connect over video calls regularly, although her sister-in-law doesn’t recognize her when they speak.
“I'm walking for the people who I've known very closely in Durango who have Alzheimer's now, and it's very, very important that we support them and that we're all working together,” she said.
Elizabeth Burke is caregiver for Mary Jo Butterfield, who has Alzheimer’s. Their team name was JoJo & The Frogs. The team had 11 members, including Butterfield herself and her husband. They wore little frog caps, representing Butterfield’s favorite animal.’
“We are walking today to support a cure, to support our beautiful friend, and to have some fun, her favorite animal is a frog, so we honored her with green,” Burke said.
She said events like The Walk to End Alzheimer’s bring communities together, and although she’s attended large events in cities with thousands of attendees, she loves how intimate the walk in Durango is.
cburney@durangoherald.com
