Team Birches joins Walk to End Alzheimer's for 15th year
On September 18, residents and associates from The Birches Assisted Living in Clarendon Hills joined nearly 2,000 walkers from the Naperville area in the Alzheimer's Association's annual Walk to End Alzheimer's.
Team Birches has participated in the walk for the past 15 years, and this year was among the top 25 fundraisers, raising over $4,000 for the cause. Team Birches' fundraising total for the past 15 years is over $65,000.
Earlier this month, Birches residents and associates were busy making homemade baked goods for a bake sale to raise funds to support Team Birches and the Walk to End Alzheimer's. Those who participated in the 5K walk also received donations from friends, family and community members- all of which go toward the Alzheimer's Association's work to further care, support and research efforts for Alzheimer's disease.
The Birches' Director of Encore and Memory Care Services Katie Schaff Fagan, who served as team coordinator and spearheaded fundraising efforts for the event, was completely blown away by the community support Team Birches received.
"I set our fundraising goal at $2,000 and was hoping that we would be close to that. I never dreamed that we would more than double our goal," said Schaff Fagan. "So many staff members and family members supported the cause. It just shows that our community sees the immense impact of this disease and wants to work together to find a cure, prevention and better treatment options."
On the morning of the walk, Team Birches met with other walkers at North Central College's Benedetti-Wehrli Stadium in Naperville and followed a three mile route around the downtown Naperville area. The Birches' Community Liaison Robin Lacine, who led The Birches' team in the walk, said she was impressed with the passion and commitment she saw from fellow walkers.
"It was amazing to see how many people from different communities came together to support each other and to champion such a worthy cause," said Lacine.
According to Lacine, most of the walkers she spoke to were personally impacted by Alzheimer's in some way- whether through a family member, friend or their own struggle with the illness. In fact, walkers all received a handheld pinwheel in the shape of a flower with a color that identified their own personal connection to the disease. Blue represented someone with Alzheimer's or dementia. Purple was for someone who had lost a loved one to the disease. Yellow represented someone who was supporting or caring for someone with Alzheimer's. And orange was for everyone who supports the cause and vision of a world without Alzheimer's.
People who participated in the walk also had the opportunity to hang pictures of deceased friends and family members with Alzheimer's disease on a wall to honor their memory.
"It was very touching to see," said Lacine. "Everyone had an important reason for being there- the health and well-being of a loved one who is still fighting or the memory of someone who was very dear to them and was taken too soon."
The Birches Assisted Living in Clarendon Hills, Ill. offers professional services to support the physical, social, intellectual and spiritual growth of the older adults who make it their home. The Birches offers purposeful programming and activities designed to promote a healthy aging lifestyle and a strong sense of community. For more information about The Birches, call 630-789-1135 or visit: birches.net.