A leisurely stroll around a Vernon school yard helped raise awareness and funds for Alzheimer's Disease.
The annual IG Wealth Management Walk For Alzheimer's, held on the last Sunday of May each year, drew more than 60 participants and volunteers to Vernon's Ellison Elementary School Sunday, May 25. The event is put on by the Alzheimer's Society of B.C., along with presenting partner Go Auto.
"We walk not only to raise funds but also to raise awareness for the more than 85,000 British Columbians living with this disease, and to show them that they and their caregivers do not have to face this hardship alone," said event chairperson Ellie Cucheran, who was aided in organizing the walk by Aryan Bansal.
The local walk paid tribute to the caregivers in the North Okanagan who care for their family members living with Alzheimer's day after day.
"They do not get enough recognition, so we thought this was the perfect chance to show them they are seen and heard," said Cucheran.
Vernon-Lumby MLA Harwinder Sandhu was among the dignitaries who spoke at the event during a ceremony inside the school's gymnasium, then took part in the walk around the school grounds.
Team Jim did not take part in the walk but did raise a whopping $10,000 online for the event. Final numbers have not been counted but the online portion of the fundraiser brought in more than $16,000.
