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Last updated on Monday, September 19, 2016
(BLOOMINGTON) - Bryant Park was a field of purple during Sunday’s annual Walk to End Alzheimer’s as more than 600 people wearing purple Alzheimer’s Association T-shirts participated in the event.
Those attending raised money throughout the year for the purpose of providing care and support to Alzheimer's patients and their families, and to fund research to find a cure.
Walk to End Alzheimer's began in Indianapolis in 1993. It has expanded to include walks in 12 cities around the state. Bloomington's walk raised more than $66,500 from 475 attendees in 2015. Across the country, more than 54,000 teams participated and raised $77 million.
Alzheimer's Association chapter spokeswoman Lauren Lay said the walk is a chance for families and care facilities to come together to honor their loved ones who either currently have Alzheimer's or have died of the degenerative, terminal disease.
Participants were able to sharing their favorite memories on a Memory Wall and in the Promise Garden where attendees placed pinwheels shaped like flowers in the ground, personalized with messages on the petals to create a colorful garden.
Wendy Rubin, chairwoman of the event, said the Memory Wall is one of her favorite things and one of the reasons why Sunday's walk was a call for celebration, and not a somber occasion.
Erin Kingseed, the event's keynote speaker, is an Indiana University student and member of the Sigma Kappa sorority. The sorority, which just joined the IU Greek community in January, brought a team of 165 members to the walk and raised more than $10,000 dollars.
To learn more about the Walk to End Alzheimer's, visit alz.org/Indiana/walk.
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