Walking for a cause

submitted+photo

submitted photo

Story by Victoria Van, entertainment editor

Colorful flowers spin in the wind, families gather in unison and the friendly atmosphere brings together the positivity toward raising money in aiding those who need support finding a cure for Alzheimer’s.

Texarkana’s Walk to End Alzheimer’s was held this Saturday from 8:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. at Spring Lake Park. Multiple friends and families who have been affected by the disease registered to walk one and a half miles and donate money to raise $22,000 dollars.

Processes to set up the event were coordinated by the committee organizing the event along with the help of volunteers. As people registered, the goal became closer with each contribution.

“We came up yesterday to set up for the event and we’ve been planning for it all year,” program coordinator Lynette Finley said. “At the point, we’ve raised over 17,000 dollars for Alzheimer’s research. There were quite a few people who donated online and there were those who donated at the registration tent to help us achieve our goal.”

Around 10 a.m., the opening ceremony took place where symbolic flowers represent people supporting the cause, those who have Alzheimer’s and the families who lost a loved one to the disease. A speech was delivered right before the walk began.

“Before the participants started the walk, the opening ceremony brought everyone together and people held up different colored flowers,” sophomore Katherine Page said. “It was really nice seeing everyone come together to listen to the speech.”

Volunteers from HOSA and Key Club participated in the event by putting up tents, passing out supplies and aiding the committee members with additional help. Assisting in the setup of the event  benefited each volunteer.

“I’m here for both HOSA and Key Club,” senior Alan Alvarado said. “There were a few members who came to the park as early as 7 a.m. to begin helping at the event. We decorated the booths and tents, took pictures of participants at the event for social media and overall enjoyed spending time lending a hand for a good cause.”

Students from the school aided in multiple sections from displaying signs, to collecting donations amongst other tasks. Ultimately, the experience proved to be worth while and volunteers hope to come every year to take part in a rewarding cause.

“It’s been a fun time overall. A lot of people wanted to donate so I believe the event was a success,“ Page said. “I’ll come back every year that I possibly can to help and have a great time. The impact this experience has was beyond tremendous.”

To donate and help the Alzheimer’s Association visit the link:

http://act.alz.org/site/TR/Walk2017/AR-Arkansas?fr_id=10262&pg=entry