Up and Coming Weekly is a weekly publication in Fayetteville, NC and Fort Bragg, NC area offering local news, views, arts, entertainment and community event and business information.
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MARCH 11-17, 2015 UCW 11 WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM Alzheimer's is a vicious disease that affects both the patient and the family profoundly. Yet for all of the anguish that it causes, it receives very little attention comparatively. The biggest problem in tackling the disease is funding, explained Julie Russo, the director of administration for the Fayetteville Walk to End Alzheimer's. "Though Alzheimer's disease is the sixth leading cause of death in the United States, annually, this disease receives dramatically less funding than other major killers, such as heart disease," said Russo. "The National Institute of Health has acknowledged that we have the scientific talent, ideas and potential to find a cure or an effective treatment for Alzheimer's disease; all we lack is the funding. The Alzheimer's Association is working hard to advocate for a steady and consistent increase in funding to bring us to a resolution by 2025." One of the ways to raise money is through the Walk to End Alzheimer's. This charity event aims to raise both awareness and funds for the Alzheimer's Association. The goal this year is $67,000. Based on past years, it is a reachable goal. "Each year our Fayetteville Walk gets bigger and bigger. In 2011, we had roughly 200 people at the walk, and about 10 sponsors and raised a little more than $20,000. Our 2014 Walk numbers were significantly higher. We had 40 sponsors, raised $59,250 and had 49 teams with 526 participants," said Russo. Local businesses have reached out to join the fight against Alzheimer's, too. One such business is McKee Homes, which has been a sponsor since the walk's inception in 2011. "When Pat McKee and his brother, Mike, formed McKee Homes, they dedicated the company to the memory of their father, Joe McKee, and established the Joe McKee Memorial Alzheimer Fund. A percentage of every home sale by McKee Homes goes into this fund to support Alzheimer's research and care, but Pat felt like there was still more he could do. He approached me in the spring of 2011 and asked me if I would help him start the Fayetteville Walk to End Alzheimer's. We then met with Lisa Roberts, the executive director of the Eastern N.C. Chapter of the Alzheimer's Association," explained Russo. Growth is a focus for every walk, and this year, a lot of great changes are being made towards those ends. "Our main Fayetteville Planning Committee Goal for 2015 is to expand our efforts to include people and areas that we may not have reached in the past. We are doing this in a few ways," explained Russo. "First, we are changing our walk location, which will be held on Sept. 12 at the Swamp Dogs Stadium at 2823 Legion Road," said Russo, "We are also planning a special baseball game where we are auctioning off the player's jerseys. That game is scheduled for July 29. Second, we are forming a speaker's bureau, made up of planning committee members. The bureau will help raise awareness by educating the community about the Alzheimer's Association's efforts to reach it vision which is 'A world without Alzheimer's'". One of the reasons that the walks have been so successful and so much growth has occurred is because local residents have reached out and embraced this charity event. Russo said, "Fayetteville is truly an amazing city. The people of this area have donated their time, efforts, money, space, food, advertising … they have woken up early and stayed late. They put up with my unique tendencies and have done all of it with a smile on their face. Pat (McKee) and I had a vision of what we could do to help the Eastern N.C. Chapter expand its presence into the Fayetteville area, but we could never have imagined where we are now." For more information visit the Facebook page "Fayetteville Walk to End Alzheimer's" or call 919- 803-8285. Registration for the walk begins at 9 a.m. and the walk itself begins at 10:30 a.m. Walk to End Alzheimer's Continues to grow in Fayetteville. Community Invovlement Equals Success for Alzheimer's Walk by ERINN CRIDER ERINN CRIDER, Staff Writer. COMMENTS? Editor@upandcom- ingweekly.com. FTCC CONTINUING EDUCATION www.faytechcc.edu/continuing_education Trained by the BEST!... Hired by the BEST! Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) EMT National Registry Medical Coder Medical Transcription Paramedic Phlebotomy Registered Medical Assistant (RMA) Working in the Pharmacy (910)678-8251 or (910)678-8446 Call today to inquire about class schedules.