Columbia community pushing for a world without Alzheimer’s disease
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
Many people in Columbia are pushing for a world without Alzheimer's disease.
Last year, the Columbia Walk to End Alzheimer's raised $195,594. This year, the walk has a goal of raising $220,000.
It's just the local community's part in helping with the financial burden of a debilitating disease that measures in the hundreds of billions of dollars annually, according to the Alzheimer's Association.
More than a dozen local companies are sponsors of the Columbia Walk to End Alzheimer's. Some of those companies include Veteran's United, AssuredPartners and Logboat Brewing Company. ABC 17 News is the official media sponsor.
Logboat co-founder Andrew Sharp's grandfather died in 2014, just as the company was getting started.
"We started the Ales for Alzheimer's golf tournament and that was just kind of an ode to him," Sharp said. "It quickly became kind of our No. 1 charity we wanted to support locally and try to just get the education out there."
The company has been a big supporter of the Walk to End Alzheimer's.
"This walk is one of those things that supports a great cause and the education behind all of it," Sharp said. "It's really just getting together and supporting what other people are going through."
David Nivens is the former owner of Midwest Computech. His grandmother was diagnosed in the late 1960s and battled the disease for around 20 years.
"I think through advancements and treatments and other things she was able to live a longer life," Nivens said.
His great-grandmother also fought the disease.
This year, Nivens is the 2023 Columbia Walk to End Alzheimer's event chair.
"Going through the process of the year leading up to the walk and then experiencing the walk really changed my perception of the walk itself but also the organization and the kind of impact the walk has," Nivens said. "The impact of the walk is pretty tremendous."
He says standing in a sea of multicolored flowers on walk day is a powerful moment for the Columbia community. Each flower represents that person's tie to the disease.
- Blue - "I have Alzheimer's"
- Yellow - "I care for someone with Alzheimer's"
- Orange - "I support the cause and vision for a world without Alzheimer's"
- Purple - "I have lost someone to Alzheimer's"
"For everyone to have their flower up in the air and look around and see where they were at in the process," Nivens said. "They've been a caregiver or they've had someone currently dealing with it, or they lost a loved one to Alzheimer's."
Nivens said he's treasured seeing a community of people who could support each other, whether they knew each other or not.
Join ABC 17 News at the Columbia Walk to End Alzheimer's on Saturday at Faurot Field.
Or join ABC 17 News at the Jefferson City Walk to End Alzheimer's on Oct. 15 at Memorial Park. Last year, the Jefferson City Walk broke its all-time record and raised nearly $134,000. This year, the walk has a goal of raising $140,000.
