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Over $38,000 raised during 10th Walk for Alzheimer’s

$38,022.80 is the unofficial total from the 10th annual Walk for Alzheimer’s put on the Alzheimer’s Society of Hastings-Prince Edward.

“I shouldn’t be surprised,” Alzheimer’s Society of Hastings and Prince Edward Education and Support Coordinator Sarah Krieger says. Even with the poor weather the area got on Saturday when the walk was held, they were able to top last year’s fundraising total.

“Our North Hastings community is overwhelmingly generous,” Kreiger says.

“Part of the funds are to ensure we still have access to our office in the North Hastings area,” she continues. Kreiger says they want to use the funds to put on more workshops, like the new First Link Learning Series that’s starting in April. She also hopes to purchase more Project Lifesaver bracelets.

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Constable Philippe Regamey from the Bancroft OPP was on-hand this year to demonstrate Project Lifesaver. Kreiger explains it’s an American-based radio frequency unit, similar to what is used to track wildlife. “The individual wears a bracelet that has a specific radio frequency to them,” she says. The local police are trained on how to use it so that if that person does wander off, the OPP input that tracking number into the Project Lifesaver unit and it allows them to zero in on where that person is.

Kreiger says the area’s police have a 100-percent recovery rate.

During the walk, Vivian Bloom shared a story about a friend’s husband who had wandered off, but he did not have a Project Lifesaver bracelet. While he did come home on his own, her friend was scared about not being able to find him and wished she had gotten a bracelet for him to make finding him easier. “It’s all about being proactive,” Kreiger adds.

Dana Yonemitsu was recognized during the walk for being the driving force behind getting the annual fundraising event started in 2011. “Dana was going through her own journey with her mother,” Kreiger says. Still, she adds that Yonemitsu was focused on helping the local society. “If you know Dana, she gets an idea and she makes sure you follow through with it,” Kreiger says, noting how she wasn’t sure about doing the walk in the area at first since they’re designed for larger places.

Over the nine years the walk has been held, Kreiger says over $180,000 has been raised.

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