Mankato mile-walk recognizes Alzheimer’s disease in the area

MANKATO, Minn. (KEYC) - September 10, 2022, marks the day for Mankato’s Walk to End Alzheimer’s.

The walk raises awareness and money for the Alzheimer’s Association.

Saturday’s family-friendly event featured a mile walk around Good Counsel Hill, food and drinks from Dunkin’ Donuts, a silent auction, and tents with information about Alzheimer’s.

Attendees were encouraged to hold flowers that represented their personal experience with the disease.

Over 100 volunteers helped organize Saturday’s event- the most volunteers ever had.

The national walk has been around for over two decades, but local organizers say that Mankato has been walking *longer than that.

“The walk started in the Mankato, North Mankato area before it was affiliated with the Alzheimer’s Association. We had a dedicated group that started way back in the day. Then, when the Alzheimer’s Association began having the formal walks, then that’s what this became,” chair of the Mankato Walk to End Alzheimer’s Kristen Abbott-Anderson said.

According to the Alzheimer’s Association, 6 million people in the U.S. live with Alzheimer’s.

All funds raised go toward the Alzheimer’s Association.