Alzheimer’s Association Invites Rhode Island Residents To Join 2020 Walk To End Alzheimer’s On Four Dates

Participants Will Continue to Walk as Individuals, Families or Small Teams in Their Neighborhood on Sidewalks, Tracks and Trails across Rhode Island in Wake of COVID-19

Providence, RI, JULY 14, 2020 – The Alzheimer’s Association is inviting Rhode Island residents to join the fight to end Alzheimer’s by participating in the Alzheimer’s Association Walk to End Alzheimer’s® on four different dates.

The Walk to End Alzheimer’s continues, but instead of hosting a large gathering, the Alzheimer’s Association is encouraging participants to walk as individuals or in small groups on sidewalks, tracks and trails across Rhode Island because this year’s Walk is everywhere.

“This year the Alzheimer’s Association is everywhere. All of us will be raising funds for one goal: to live in a world without Alzheimer’s and other dementias,” said Donna M. McGowan, Executive Director, Alzheimer’s Association, Rhode Island Chapter. “Because this disease is not waiting neither are we. We are working with all participants to ensure that they experience a powerful and moving experience in a safe environment.”

Time-honored components of the Walk to End Alzheimer’s are being replicated. On Walk day, an Opening Ceremony will feature local speakers and a presentation of Promise Flowers to honor the personal reasons participants join together to fight Alzheimer’s and all other dementia, all delivered to participants' smartphones, tablets and computers. A small group of Alzheimer’s Association staff and volunteers will create the iconic Promise Garden in a “view only” format on Walk day in the cities and towns we would have gathered in to honor all those impacted by Alzheimer’s. Those Gardens will be viewed on September 12 in Westerly, September 13 in Newport, September 26 on Block Island and October 4 in Providence.

To enhance the participant experience leading up to the event and on Walk day, new features are being added to the Walk to End Alzhemer’s mobile app to create an opportunity for the community to connect. Participants can use the app and new “Walk Mainstage'' to track their steps and distance, follow a virtual Walk path, manage their Facebook fundraisers, and access information and resources from the Association and Walk sponsors to help individuals and families affected by the disease. A new audio track is available to encourage participants along the way and to congratulate them upon completion of their Walk.

More than 5 million Americans are living with Alzheimer's disease – the sixth-leading cause of death in the United States. Additionally, more than 16 million family members and friends provide care to people living with Alzheimer’s and other dementias. In Rhode Island alone, there are more than 24,000 people living with the disease and 54,000 caregivers.

To register and receive the latest updates on this year’s Walk to End Alzheimers, visit: www.alz.org/ri/walk 

Alzheimer's Association Walk to End Alzheimer’s®
The Alzheimer’s Association Walk to End Alzheimer’s is the world’s largest event to raise awareness and funds for Alzheimer’s care, support and research. Since 1989, the Alzheimer’s Association mobilized millions of Americans in the Alzheimer’s Association Memory Walk®; now the Alzheimer’s Association is continuing to lead the way with Walk to End Alzheimer’s. Together, we can end Alzheimer’s.

Alzheimer's Association®
The Alzheimer’s Association is a worldwide voluntary health organization dedicated to Alzheimer’s care, support and research. Its mission is to lead the way to end Alzheimer's and all other dementia — by accelerating global research, driving risk reduction and early detection, and maximizing quality care and support. Visit www.alz.org or call 800.272.3900.