Mankato’s Annual Walk to End Alzheimer’s event held on Saturday

MANKATO, Minn. (KEYC) - The Annual Walk to End Alzheimer’s event in Mankato was held on Saturday for people to come out and support the cause.

Nearly 500 people and 42 teams registered to participate in this year’s Walk to End Alzheimer’s event at the Loyola Catholic School. People got to see live music and different vendors from the community, plus a kid zone for the children to enjoy.

“My grandma and Grandpa, Marianne Moritz and Kenneth Moritz -- they both have Alzheimer’s and dementia,” said Alysha Kruger, a Volunteer for Greater Mankato’s Walk to End Alzheimer’s Committee. “One of them has Alzheimer’s. One of them has dementia. So, it was really important to me to get involved and kind of help work towards a cure. It’s been a really hard thing for my family.”

Care consultation, getting connected with support groups, and group learning sessions are all services that The Alzheimer’s Association provides to support families in need.

“[We] just want [you] to know that you have a community here to be your support system, you don’t have to go through this journey alone,” said Rebekah Hartman, Walk Manager for the Alzheimer’s Association. “There are others who are in the fight with you and here at the association as well.”

This event was free to walk; however, donations were still accepted to support the cause. All the proceeds from the walk will go to further the care, support, and research efforts of The Alzheimer’s Association.

“Everybody came out, everybody cheered, everybody was positive,” said Sharon Hewitt, a walker at the event. “You haven’t heard anything negative. The walk is fun, yet it still pushes your heart, and it pushes you to think the whole time you have time to just think about what’s going on and why we’re all here and everybody’s been awesome. It’s just been a great experience.”

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