On Saturday, September 27 the Alzheimer Association put on their annual walk to raise awareness for this fatal disease. During the event, there was a strict itinerary for the event. There were so many people came out to support the cause that there were no parking spaces left at River Walk Park; however, that didn’t stop anyone from coming. Many people who ran a tad late parked across the park in the McDonalds’ parking lot and hoofed it to the park.
“It is a nationwide association, but the money that we raise stays here in Kern Country. Kern County was the last to be added to the coast chapter. We have a big need here, and we don’t have a lot of reserve so a lot of the fundraising try to build up the reserve in Bakersfield because there are so many families that need the support, but it’s a newer association to the area,” said Amanda Valenzuela, Board of directors of Blondes Vs. Brunettes.
Registration began at 8am for the walk, while speakers to talk about how this disease has affected them and their families. During the opening, many people were holding large colored flowers to represent their part in the event. The blue flowers represented someone who has Alzheimer’s, the yellow flowers represented someone supporting anyone with Alzheimer’s, purple flowers represented anyone who has lost someone to Alzheimer’s, and the orange flowers represented anyone who supports the cause and is looking for a cure. Over the loud speaker, the coordinator asked everyone there to raise their hands if they have been affected by this disease; more than half of the crowd had their hands raised.
“My goal in life, as of right now and having such a passion for the Alzheimer’ Association, is a world without Alzheimer’s,” said Terri Serban Agcaoili, the team captain for the Blondes for the annual power puff game Blondes vs. Brunettes.
Before the walk, the group warmed up with dancing, jumping jacks, and running in place to prepare for the 5K. At 9:15am, all of the participants gathered at the starting line to begin their three mile walk.
“As a community, there needs to be more awareness and assistance for people and it’s not necessarily a monetary assistance, its support. Who do you call? What’s next? What avenues can you pursue?
Because we all get in a fix it mode but it’s not something we can fix unfortunately,” said Evangelina Morales, part of Lou’s Legacy Team. This was Evangelina first time at an event like this because she recently lost her mother to Alzheimer’s.
While people were walking, many volunteers began preparing for their return by having cold waters ready. Students from Ridgeview High School spent their Saturday morning helping in any way that they could, whether it was pitching tents or setting up signs in the grass.
“The mission of the association is to advance research to find a cure. To really provide care support and resources to families and communities, and educated the general public about […] health, and risk reduction of dementia,” said Rhonda Spiedel, CEO of Alzheimer’s Association California Central Chapter.
The Alzheimer’s Association plans to hold more events like their annual walks in the fall and their powder puff football games in the spring.