SOUTH PARIS – Plans are under way for this year’s annual Memory Walk that supports the Maine Alzheimer’s Association.

The slogan for this year’s walk is “Taking Steps to end Alzheimer’s.” The Maine Veterans’ Home at 477 High St. in South Paris is once again the host for this year’s walk. The walk is held at 15 different sites across the state.

“Our walk is slated for Saturday, Sept. 27. We are planning a 4-mile route, starting and ending at the South Paris facility. We need people in the community to help us make this a success,” said Ellie Newell, site chairperson for the Oxford Hills walk.

Interested persons can participate in a variety of ways. Families and friends from the community may walk as teams to honor or remember a loved one who has suffered with this disease. There are also teams made up from workplaces, and there has been a long-standing competition among area nursing facilities to see who can raise the most money for this benefit. We also need volunteers to make phone calls, donate items for a silent auction, and cook for a public supper being planned to raise funds.

“With the incidence of Alzheimer’s disease on the rise, it is difficult to find someone who has not been affected in one way or another – it may be a family member or friend who has been diagnosed, it may be a co-worker or neighbor who is dealing with the difficulties of being a caretaker. Few of us have not been connected to the disease in some manner,” said Newell.

This year’s committee is urging all interested persons to contact the home for more information on how to help or participate. For more information, call 743-6300.

“Last year the Oxford Hills area raised over $10,000 to donate to the Alzheimer’s Association. We want to at least surpass that figure this year,” Newell added.

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