Walk to End Alzheimer's goes virtual

MOSES LAKE — Registration is open for the Moses Lake 2020 Walk to End Alzheimer’s, scheduled for Sept. 12.

Leslie Woodfill, one of the organizers, said the COVID-19 outbreak will mean the walk is going virtual. The official start time is 10 a.m., but there’s no common course.

“Walk in your neighborhood, walk on your favorite trail, but still just walk,” she said.

Traditionally, the Alzheimer’s walk starts with a ceremony in memory of Alzheimer’s patients. The tradition will be continued, but with a twist. The ceremony has been recorded and will be shown at 9:30 a.m. on social media the day of the walk.

Walkers traditionally carry flower-petal pinwheels in different colors, signifying how the disease has affected them. (Colors identify caregivers, family members and Alzheimer’s patients.) For 2020 the pinwheels will be on display on Sept. 12 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. in Civic Park, behind the Moses Lake Civic Center.

Walkers will receive a banner they can carry on their individual walks.

“We encourage people to take those around the neighborhood,” Woodfill said.

People can sign up for the walk at https://act.alz.org and find the local event by ZIP code.

The money raised is used locally to help pay for support groups for people with Alzheimer’s and their families, to provide education about the disease and to fund treatment and research into its causes.

“We just need all the help we can get, especially this year,” Woodfill said.