According to the Alzheimer’s Association, nearly 7 million Americans are living with Alzheimer’s disease, including 60,000 Arkansans. And the number of caregivers who bear the burden of Alzheimer’s and other dementia is far greater.
Caregiving is a selfless and compassionate path often marked with intense emotions, guilt and burnout, especially when caring for family members. Having a community that understands what a caregiver is going through and can help in times of need is invaluable.
Alzheimer’s Association, the leading voluntary health organization in Alzheimer’s care, support and research, provides aid and education to the millions who face dementia every day, while advancing critical research toward methods of treatment, prevention and, ultimately, a cure.
Each year, the Walk to End Alzheimer’s brings together caregivers, supporters and advocates to raise awareness, this year with co-chairs Kim Markland and Ashley Cunningham. Soirée sat down with Markland and Cunningham — the Bank of Little Rock’s president and banker, respectively — to reflect on and look forward to the nonprofit’s milestone 40th year and community-focused fundraiser.
How did each of you first get involved with the Alzheimer’s Association?
KM + AC: Shortly after Kim was named president of BLR, she began a company initiative to find ways to encourage the bank’s staff to be more involved in our local community. We have worked together closely for many years, so she knew Ashley had a heart for community service and shared her desire for BLR to be more involved, so she recruited her to chair the bank’s Community Involvement Committee. We started looking for meaningful ways we could serve our community.
Around this same time, Kim was given the opportunity to serve on the 2023 Walk to End Alzheimer’s Community Engagement Committee, and we realized the walk would be the perfect way to kick off our renewed focus on community involvement. We discovered how many of our BLR staff members have been impacted by Alzheimer’s or other kinds of dementia – roughly a third of our bank family and many more of our friends and customers.
We formed a team and set a goal to raise $3,000. Our staff went all in and we all enjoyed participating in the event. Bank management encouraged our staff members to participate and donated in honor of each employee who joined the team. We also encouraged our customers and friends to join our team, and many of them made donations. We ended up increasing our goal several times and ultimately raised more than $5,000.
Our involvement with the walk has been a great way for our bank to give back to our community, and it has also been important to both of us.
We also each have personal connections. Ashley’s mother-in-law had dementia when she passed away in 2021. Kim’s mother is currently living with Lewy Body dementia, which is a type of dementia commonly associated with Parkinson’s disease, which she also has. We both have experienced the strain Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia place on not just those with the diagnosis, but also their families and caregivers.
Over the past year, we have learned a lot about the work the Alzheimer’s Association is doing to fund research, find treatments and support families. This has really increased our passion for this event, and we are so excited to chair the central Arkansas walk this year.
What can we expect at this year’s event?
AC + KM: The Walk to End Alzheimer’s brings together a community of people who want to join in the fight against this terrible disease. As a participant, you will be walking with people whose lives have been touched in some way by Alzheimer’s or another form of dementia, including those with a diagnosis, caregivers, family members and friends. While this is a very serious disease, the atmosphere at the walk is uplifting, inspirational, positive, hopeful and fun.
What should walk attendees know before they go?
KM + AC: The Walk to End Alzheimer’s is not a race but a walk to raise awareness and money. The walk route is about two miles long and is very pedestrian-friendly. Participants can walk at their own pace while enjoying the sights of the Argenta neighborhood.
Why should the community get involved?
KM + AC: Over 55 million people are living with Alzheimer’s and other dementias worldwide, and over 60,000 people are living with it in Arkansas. There are approximately 180,000 unpaid caregivers in Arkansas. Dementia is wide-reaching, and almost everyone knows someone who either has a diagnosis or is caring for someone with a diagnosis.
The money being raised is making a difference. Worldwide, the Alzheimer’s Association funds research across the spectrum of dementia science including identifying new treatments, improving care and support and furthering knowledge of prevention. In 2023, the association made its largest-ever research investment granting $100 million to research. Locally, we benefit through community education programs, support groups and dementia caregiver respite grants.
What are you most excited about for this year’s event?
KM + AC: The walk isn’t just about raising money, it is also about building awareness. The Walk is an uplifting event that brings together people from all walks of life who are dealing with the same things. You really feel the love and support of our community. We were blown away at last year’s event, and it is going to be even bigger and better this year.
Does the nonprofit have a current focus it’s working toward?
AC + KM: The vision of the Alzheimer’s Association is “a world without Alzheimer’s and all other dementia,” and everything they do furthers the goal of making that vision a reality. Funds raised from the central Arkansas walk, along with more than 600 other walks nationwide, go directly to Alzheimer’s care, support and research. While our local chapter is involved in advancing critical research and public policy, its daily focus is on reaching people in the community through education programs, support groups and other resources. Funds raised through the walk help make these services possible.
Alzheimer’s is a serious and emotional topic, not just for the person affected, but for their loved ones. What is it like to see the community come together for an event like this?
KM + AC: It’s very exciting! One way we literally see the community come together for this event is through the Promise Garden ceremony. The Promise Garden is a very special part of every Walk to End Alzheimer’s and serves as a powerful visual reminder that we may all have different reasons for participating, but we are all joined in the fight against this disease. Each participant “picks” a colored flower based on their connection to the cause, and when we come together at Argenta Plaza, everyone holds up their colored flower. It is a very moving experience.
What is something you’ve learned about Alzheimer’s that not everyone may be aware of?
KM + AC: There is no cure for Alzheimer’s, but there are treatments that may change disease progression, and drug and non-drug options that may help treat symptoms. There are new treatments that have received approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration that slow the progression of the disease and allow people to have more time to participate in daily life and live independently when taken in the early stages. The money raised through events like The Walk to End Alzheimer’s helped fund the research that has led to the development of these treatments. The vision of the Alzheimer’s Association is a world without Alzheimer’s and all other dementia. And it is in reach. We don’t want to stop now. The walk makes a difference, and we hope our community will come together to support the fight.
Walk to End Alzheimer’s
Benefiting the Alzheimer’s Association
Nov. 9, 9 a.m. | Argenta Plaza
Info: alz.org/arwalk
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