Tomorrow morning, The Ivey staff, families and friends will be participating in the 2016 Walk to End Alzheimer’s, in support of the Alzheimer’s Association of Western Carolina. We’ll also be having our second annual “Pre-Walk Tailgate Party” in Symphony Park (the site of the walk) with coffee, breakfast goodies, custom t-shirts, and (if last year is any indicator) lots of hugs, smiles, laughs and love.
And I have to say, I’m really looking forward to it.
After a week of unrest and tension in our city, it will be so good to come together in this way. We will be rallying around a vital cause. Our shared belief that we can end Alzheimer’s disease is such a powerful connector. You can feel the solidarity in the air.
Some of us (dare I say, most of us) participating in the walk have personal connections to the disease. Others, perhaps, are more removed. But regardless, the only thing that truly matters is that we are all there in support of a common goal.
In the weeks leading up to the walk, The Ivey’s Facebook page has been running a weekly series called “Why I Walk Wednesdays” (#WIWW) in which staff members have been articulating their personal reasons for participating in the walk. It’s important for us to be open and to share why we are so dedicated to our vision of a future without Alzheimer’s.
I’m also so proud and thankful to all of those who have signed up to walk with us this year and who have contributed to our efforts. We have 128 walkers signed up for The Ivey Team and we’ve raised $12,550 (surpassing our $10,000 goal)! YES!
A special shout-out to our top 3 fundraisers: Kathryn Brady, Janice Petrone and Connie Pavlakos!
I would love to see this kind of unity playing out in many other aspects of society, too. Maybe the community-building model displayed by successful non-profit organizations and causes can be a source of inspiration for tackling our community’s other problems and challenges, too.
I hope to see you in the morning – there’s a hug waiting with your name on it!
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