Washington is preparing for its tenth annual Alzheimer’s Walk and Education Fair, which will not only raise money and awareness for the disease, but will also provide caregivers with valuable information to help their patients and loved ones.

On Sept. 27, from 9 a.m. to noon, hundreds of individuals, some of which have formed teams, will participate in a two-mile loop from First Baptist Church in Washington, to the Civic Center, down Stewart Parkway and back around to the church, to raise money and awareness for Alzheimer’s research and education, said Emily Albera, former caregiver and co-chair of the event’s steering committee. Participants also walk to remember and support loved ones who have fallen victim to the disease, which has no known cause or cure.

Emily Padgett, Albera’s mother, who was taken care of by Liz Wilder during the last eight years of her life, was the inspiration behind the event. After Padgett’s death, Wilder, who no longer lives locally, organized and motivated individuals in the area to raise money and awareness locally, Albera said.  From there, the event was berthed.

“Liz was very attached and very depressed when mom passed and suddenly she woke up one day, and she decided we would have a walk in Washington for Miss Emily,” Albera said. “Liz took care of mother and this was just her way of remembering mother and taking care of her.”

Albera said in the 10 years that Washington has held the event, the last four years of partnership with Alzheimer’s NC have shown real results locally. Since the partnership, all the money raised locally stays in North Carolina, Albera said.

Sponsored by Alzheimer’s NC and East Carolina University’s Wooten Laboratory, which has received around $100,000 in the last two years for research, the event will also feature various Alzheimer’s experts, including ECU professionals, legal aid and health specialists and free materials to assist caregivers and to educate the public about the disease, Albera said. There is also a resource directory available called A Support for Alzheimer’s Caregivers, giving a list of local entities and organizations that provide support for patients. Among these resources are Mid-East Commission Area Agency on Aging, the Department of Social Services, Community Home Care and Hospice and many others.  Participants can also take part in a silent auction to raise money for the disease’s research and education, Albera said.

“We added the education fair so that caregivers could come and get free information during that three hours,” Albera said. “It’s not just for those who can walk. I think a lot of it has to do with education, learning how to deal with it. It’s a bad disease and we need to find a cure. This is primarily about all those people who need resources for this disease.”

Albera said several teams have signed up to participate in the event. Team members raise money by getting others to sponsor them, but there are other means of raising money through smaller fundraisers like the sale of forget-me-nots, in which people can dedicate in memory of a lost or affected loved one. Individuals who raise $50 or more and students who raise $25 or more will receive a free T-shirt from Alzheimer’s NC, Albera said. Other fundraisers, prior to the event, include a barbeque chicken lunch on Sept. 12 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Redmen’s Lodge. Tickets are $10. The Redmen’s Lodge has helped with the event over the 10-year period by providing a place for the fair and fundraisers to be held, Albera said.

For more information, to form a team or to make a donation, contact Emily Albera at 252-964-2192.