Close to 300 dollars was raised Saturday in Perry as the Perry Lutheran Home Main Campus and Spring Valley Assisted Living campus hosted the inaugural Walk before the Walk to end Alzheimer’s. The walk took place Saturday morning at the walking trail of Dallas County Hospital.
“Maureen Haglund and Max Phillips were the brain trust behind this event,” commented Perry Lutheran Home Administrator Quinn Adair. “They spearheaded the event and put the energy behind it to make it a success. Ultimately, we have a major passion for Alzheimer’s and dementia awareness and we felt this was a great way to give back and partner with the Alzheimer’s Association to raise funds and awareness on a local level here in Perry.”
National spokesperson and Perry native Heather Van Lyn was on hand and provided a pre walk talk to those in attendance. Van Lyn’s mother Barb was part of both the Perry Lutheran Home and Spring Valley Alzheimer’s care units.
“We were very fortunate to have a local location to help with mom and give her the special treatment that Alzheimer’s patients deserve. It’s a unique disease in that not only does it take over physically, but it’s more devastating to the mental side and that’s why it so important to have the local expertise on hand to help with the situation.”
The walk was a local precursor to set the stage for the larger metro walk which is scheduled for September 19th in Des Moines. Van Lyn feels the smaller, local walks are critical for the long term success.
“A lot of people simply don’t know where to go on a state or national level for help. That’s why it is so important for local communities to get involved in these awareness efforts. The more we can push at the local level, and continue with our momentum at both the state and national level, I think the more we can continue to raise awareness and increase our fundraising efforts.”
All participants were given a purple t-shirt which is the color of the Alzheimer’s battle. Every single cent was given back to the Alzheimer’s Association.
