This year The Saybrook at Haddam’s Safe Harbor Memory Care neighborhood has organized a team for the Walk to End Alzheimer’s event which will be held on Saturday, September 16, at the beautiful Ocean Beach Park in New London.  This is our first official team – and we are so energized!

Our group of 18 walkers (and counting) is already training for this walk, tracking steps, stretching and building endurance for the two-mile endeavor.  We know it’s not quite the length of a marathon … but it is one valuable part of the very long walk we take each day with Safe Harbor residents and families facing Alzheimer’s and other memory-related diseases.

It is exciting to watch our group grow as we support raising awareness and funds for important research taking place through the Alzheimer’s Association. Our walk in New London is one of 600 happening this year at communities nationwide – and even more than that are held throughout the world.  This speaks to the fact that Alzheimer’s can afflict anyone, anywhere.  The more we understand this terrible disease the more we can help people all over the globe.

Many friends have asked how they can support us as we Walk to End Alzheimer’s.  Here are a few thoughts:

• Walk with us! Simply register here to join the Safe Harbor@The Saybrook at Haddam team and complete the standard waiver form. There is no registration fee but the Alzheimer’s Association asks every walker to make a personal donation and commit to raising funds in the fight against Alzheimer’s. Note that if you raise or donate at least $100, you will receive
  • a great new T-shirt
  • a wristband
  • a Promise Garden flower to represent your connection to the disease:

• • • Blue represents someone with Alzheimer’s or dementia
    • Purple is for someone who has lost a loved one to the disease
    • Yellow represents someone who is currently supporting or caring for someone with Alzheimer’s
    • Orange is for everyone who supports the cause and vision of a world without Alzheimer’s

• Offer encouragement! You can like our team page on Facebook, or leave us a Facebook message at bottom of our team page which we will share on our Facebook page! Or, simply send us an email through The Saybrook at Haddam’s website and let us know you are with us!
• Volunteer! Complete the online form or contact Nicole Beaucar at (860) 828-2828 or via email at nbeaucar@alz.org.
• Donate! As a team, we are hoping to raise $2,000, but we would love to exceed that number as much as possible. Please consider sponsoring one of our walkers through our team page (you can print and mail a donation form, if you prefer).  Donations are tax-deductible.

One final note.  It is important to us to only associate with the best and most trusted non-profits that truly are dedicated to their cause.  We have a longstanding relationship with the Connecticut Chapter of The Alzheimer’s Association and we often welcome them to The Saybrook at Haddam to hold workshops and educational events, and to be a resource to residents and families facing memory loss illnesses.  We are especially pleased that 94 percent of all funds collected go directly to the care and support of those with Alzheimer’s as well as to the research, awareness, fundraising and advocacy for the disease. Their overarching goal, which we stand behind, is the “treatment, prevention and, ultimately, cure” for Alzheimer’s, and to “speak up for the needs and rights of people affected by Alzheimer’s.”

Hope to see you on September 16!