Community members crowded the Christian County Justice Center parking lot for Saturday’s Pennyrile Walk to End Alzheimer’s to spotlight the disease and support the search for a cure.
Most attendees carried flower pinwheels representing how the disease affects them. Orange represents those supporting the fight against Alzheimer’s; yellow represents those caring for someone with the disease; blue represents those currently fighting Alzheimer’s and purple represents those who have lost a loved one to the disease.
A lone white pinwheel was also spotlighted, with the hope that it will one day represent those who have been cured of Alzheimer’s.
Edward Jones is a national sponsor of the Walk to End Alzheimer’s, and Holly Bivins, a financial advisor at one of the company’s Hopkinsville locations, says supporting the walk is personal because she lost her grandfather to the disease.
Since becoming a sponsor, Bivins says Edward Jones has nationally raised over $55 million toward Alzheimer’s research.
Ashton Winfield, the executive director of the Neighborhood at Hopkinsville, has also been personally impacted by Alzheimer’s. She says her great-grandmother had the disease, which inspired her to pursue a career in the senior care field, and then her grandfather passed away from the disease earlier this year.
Winfield was a part of this year’s walk committee and was impressed by the turnout. She says she is happy to see the community involved in this important cause, especially considering that Christian County has one of the highest rates of Alzheimer’s and Dementia in the state.
Fundraising efforts continue with the goal of raising $50,000. On Saturday morning, the community had already raised around $31,000. Donations can be made at act.alz.org.
