Putting in steps for a good cause Community gathers at school event to raise awareness

BY PAMELA KALIDASAN Features Editor

At the crack of the golden hour, volunteers and Girls Scout troops helped set up nearly two dozen booths for sponsors and event organizers to register people and distribute symbolic pinwheel flowers—ranging in orange, yellow, blue and purple—to plant within the fenced “promise garden” where it also contains “END ALZ."

And just behind the garden lies a select group of foldable white chairs, where posters containing sponsors' brand names are ready with the DJ playing upbeat music.

“We got involved in this because we have a grad whose mom works for Alzheimer’s and her grandmother passed away from Alzheimer’s not too long ago,” Girl Scout troop co-leader Sharon Hager said. “It’s something near and dear to them, so they reached out and here we are.”

The event taking place at Rocky Young Park on Sunday, Oct. 16, drew in 314 registered participants and 52 teams who managed to reach 73 percent or nearly $77,000 of Alzheimer’s Association’s overall campaign goal, where they plan to raise $105,000 by the end of December.

Fern Kaufman, a resident from Sunrise Senior Living, said that she thinks the event is beautiful. “I was somewhat famous when I was young,” said retired Los Angeles County deputy district attorney Clarita Karlin. “I was a singer—and we’ll be singing again.” Karlin and Kaufman along with the seniors with Alzheimer's and dementia from Sunrise Senior

Living sang Irving Berlin’s “God Bless America,” Jack Norworth’s and Albert von Tilzer’s “Take Me Out to the Ball Game” and Francis Scott Key’s “The Star-Spangled raised money to fund more global research and about treatment that significantly decreases the progress of the condition.

"Alzheimer's has destroyed our families, our finances and our future, and it’s time to end it,” Carter said. “Currently the (Alzheimer’s) Association is investing $300 million dollars to more than 920 projects in 45 countries on six continents. This week topline results were shared from a phase three trial of a new treatment, lecanemab, the data shows a 27 percent reduction in cognitive decline in people with Alzheimer’s disease.”

After Carter, 2022 San Fernando Valley walk event chair Jeff Friedman said that the Walk To End Alzheimer’s started three decades back

“We started walking to end Alzheimers with something called a memory walk,” Friedman said. “And I cannot believe that 30 years later we’re still doing this. I appreciate everybody who took the time to come out here today to show support.”

The walk started around 9:15 a.m. where participants circled around campus, passing by Lot 1 to the Avenue of Champions and through Olympic Drive.

Banner.”

After their performance, speakers such as film director Susie Singer Carter stated that the Alzheimer’s Association has