Bridgeport Park turned into a sea of purple on Saturday for the Walk to End Alzheimer’s event, hosted by the Alzheimer’s Association, which brought hundreds of people to raise money, awareness and support to those battling Alzheimer’s disease.
Senior Walk Manager Donna Cohen said money raised helps support research with partial funds going back into the community.
“It goes to programs that we provide so that we can offer them at no charge,” she said, adding that the annual fundraiser has been a staple in the local community every October for the past 15 years.
Nationally, the organization hosts more than 600 walks from September through November.
For the Santa Clarita Valley, the event was just $6,834 shy of its $145,000 goal as of Monday afternoon. Donations will be accepted through Dec. 31.
“To see people come together, whether they’re affected, whether their loved one is affected, or they’ve lost a loved one or their caregiver, or maybe just support the cause, it’s beautiful,” Cohen said, speaking on the local Santa Clarita community coming together for the cause.
Performances, live music, silent auctions, and fun photo ops were available throughout the morning before hundreds of participants of all ages were set to begin their walk along Newhall Ranch Road holding signs, wearing purple shirts supporting the Alzheimer’s movement.
The promise garden, which allows people to place a colored flower to represent their personal connection to the disease, was also brought back this year, and as more people trickled into the event, the larger it grew.
Nancy Daly was finishing up on placing her flower onto the garden in memory of her two parents, who were both diagnosed with Alzheimer’s a few years apart from one another. She also recently lost three additional members of her family to the disease as well.
“I walk for them,” she said. Daly, who is also an actress, has made the mission into a movement, dating back to 2011. Her team called, Actors & Artists Unite to End Alzheimer’s, is one of her life’s works, she said.
She wants to spread the message that with a healthy lifestyle, and remaining up to date with doctors visits, one could catch Alzheimer’s in the early stages and take medication to slow down the progression.
“If you’re active, if you’re mentally active, and you keep your sugar level down, and just having a healthier body means that you can ward it off and possibly hold it at bay regardless of what your genetic makeup is,” Daly said.
Tim Compton, who was a key speaker at the event, shared an update to his story during Saturday’s event.
He was featured at last year’s event, where he shared what it was like to live with a father who had been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. This year, his father could not be present due to the progression of his disease.
Compton wanted to share his family’s story with those in attendance and speak about what it is like to navigate having a loved one with Alzheimer’s, a reality shared by many in attendance.
“I am so grateful and proud of all of you here for showing up to this event today. Not only is this community important, so we don’t feel alone, but it truly demonstrates how much power we have together,” he said. “We will continue to fight this fight for you, and for a better future.”
