The Alzheimer’s Association’s 2025 Verde Valley Walk to End Alzheimer’s takes place on Saturday, Oct. 18, with Steps to Recovery located at 637 N. Main St. hosting the opening ceremony that takes place at 10 a.m. and it is the walk’s start and end point.
“Primarily, the goal of the event is to bring awareness to the amount of people that have Alzheimer’s in our community, and to bring funding to provide research, which 78% of it goes to research to find a cure,” Walk Manager for Northern Arizona Malena Peraza said.
Over 165 people have signed up so far this year with the goal of exceeding the $146,000 raised last year out of the 2024 goal of $88,000.
Each participant will receive a Promise Garden flower to wear that shows their connection to the disease with: Yellow for caregivers of Alzheimer’s patients, blue for Alzheimer’s patients or other forms of dementia and orange for general supporters of Alzheimer’s research.
“Then there are the purple flowers that represent when who’s lost someone to the disease. I lost my mom [to Alzheimer’s,]” Peraza said. During the opening ceremony “we also discuss ways for people to continue volunteering and helping in their communities throughout the year. Once that’s done, everyone joins in, and we walk down Main Street together.”
Participants can walk either a 0.4 mile short route heading toward Old Town Cottonwood or take the long route of 1.8 miles with the turn around point at Main Street and Pima Street, a water station will be setup.
The walk doesn’t end with a formal closing ceremony. Instead, participants are encouraged to return to the starting point, where the Mingus Union High School’s cheer team will be on hand to cheer on walkers as they pass through the arch.
“It’s a fatal disease, and when someone is diagnosed, there is no cure. But when people come to the walk, they sometimes feel that they’re alone,” Peraza said. “This event gives us the opportunity to support each other, be there for one another, share hugs, share laughter and sometimes share tears. It’s a day that brings everybody together to know that we’re not alone in going through this — and that we’re always here for each other. That’s the association’s mission, and ultimately, the goal is to live in a world without Alzheimer’s and all [forms] of dementia.”
While there is no fee to register, the Alzheimer’s Association asks “that every participant makes a commitment to raising funds to advance the fight against Alzheimer’s,” the organization’s website reads.
The Alzheimer’s Association also has a free 24/7 hotline, at 1-800-272-3900 to talk with trained clinicians in over 200 languages or to talk with the person at any time of day and reach out to help resources.
For more information visit act.alz.org or contact Peraza at (928) 237-2927 or maperaza@alz.org
