I participated yesterday in the Los Angeles version of the Alzheimer’s Association Memory Walk at Hollywood Park.
The morning started out by visiting information booths from different providers of services and products related to Alzheimer’s. At 8:30, the celebrities were introduced that would be joining us in the walk. This is one of the advantages of the Los Angeles walk. The celebrities this year were: Steve Edwards (host), David Hyde Pierce, Bryan Cranston, Shelley Fabares, Victor Garber, Ron Rifkin, Leeza Gibbons, Sharon Lawrence and Rafer Johnson. Celebrities help to get coverage for the event and tend to bring out more people to participate. Unfortunately, they participate for the same reasons the rest of us do. Each one has a close family member that has Alzheimer’s or has died from the disease.
At 8:45, a Lucille Ball impersonator got everyone warmed up and at 9:00 the walk started. You had a choice of a 2 mile or 3 mile walk along the stands and into the track infield. The 3 mile walk went along the backstretch and on part of the grass track itself.
I was happy to see how many people showed up to walk and raise money for the Alzheimer’s Association. There were individuals, groups of family or friends and large groups representing companies. During the walk, the line of people stretched as far as I could see. Many wore custom shirts or tributes to the person(s) they were walking for pinned to their shirts. There were also participants that had been diagnosed themselves with Alzheimer’s. The largest group, and the largest group fundraiser, was Wells Fargo.
After the walk, the celebrities took the stage again to announce the top 3 individual and group fundraisers. Then they lined up along some tables for an autograph session while a band took the stage.
There are still some Memory Walks yet to take place. Check the link above or in the left sidebar to see if there are any coming up in your area. Sign up to participate or make a donation. It’s for a good cause.
I’ve also added a link in the left sidebar to some photo’s that I took at the walk. Just click anywhere on the changing photo display to see them all.
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