Bethany French

On Saturday, November 14, members of the Student Nurses Association (SNA) participated in the Alzheimer’s Memory Walk that took place in Freedom Park in Charlotte. The Memory Walk consisted of volunteers that walked to raise awareness about the prevalence of Alzheimer’s and raise money towards Alzheimer’s research. There was no fee for walking; you just had to go online and register. GWU’s Student Nurses Association participated in this walk as a service learning project. We formed a team and set a goal of donating $100. Each member that volunteered to walk collected money toward our goal and we ended up meeting it with a quater to boot – $100.25! It was a perfect day for a walk – a sunny, 78 degrees! It was a mile-walk around a beautiful lake. All along the walk there were signs displaying facts about Alzheimers and the millions of people that it affects. There were people of all ages – little kids to older adults – there to walk to end Alzheimers. It was certainly a fun event and a great learning experience. This was the first time I had ever participated in a walk, but it is definately something I will do again. It was very uplifting to know that I was walking for a good cause. Alzheimer’s is one of the saddest diseases because those affected loose precious memories and their identity. I am thankful that there is an organization and hundreds of walkers dedicated to moving toward a future without Alzheimer’s.