Published: June 14, 2009 11:29 pm      

Canceled last year, Alzheimer’s Memory Walk gets new home

Event once held at Allegany College moving to Frostburg Village Nursing Home

FROSTBURG — The Alzheimer’s Association Memory Walk at Allegany College of Maryland may have been cancelled this year, but a mother and daughter in Frostburg have teamed up to organize a walk of their own.

Krista Smith, central supply clerk at Frostburg Village Nursing Home, and her 13-year-old daughter Becca, participated in the Memory Walk last year with eight residents from the nursing home.

“When I first started working at Frostburg Village, I worked in activities in the Alzheimer’s dementia unit for a year; and my daughter, who still volunteers here, would come out and help with the activities,” Smith said. “Having a dementia unit here in Frostburg is one reason I think this walk is so important. And, when you work with (Alzheimer’s patients) day in and day out, it really hits home for you and you realize the importance of the walks and the money they raise to go toward Alzheimer’s research and other various things. So, we decided to host our own.”

The walk will be held June 27 at 11 a.m., starting in the parking lot entrance of Frostburg Village Nursing Home. Participants will then head down Village Parkway and walk to Hoffman Hollow ballfield where there will be a water station. They will then turn around and head toward the old Hunter Douglas parking lot and back to Frostburg Village, Smith said.

“The route is about one mile, but we also have an alternate route around the parking lot for older people and those who may not be able to do the longer walk,” she said. “Our goal is to have 100 walkers, but we don’t have anywhere near that registered right now.”

Smith said anyone can walk and all walkers will be registered through the Alzheimer’s Association, making them eligible for awards given out by the organization. The Frostburg walk will also have its own events and small fundraisers, including a 50/50 raffle, sales of forget-me-not flowers, trophies for the individual and team that raise the most money and entertainment provided by Rick Krauss. T-shirts will be given to participants who raise a minimum of $100.

“We never know what’s in our future, so by helping now, maybe we can find a cure for this disease,” Smith said. “Maybe, by what we’re doing today, we’re helping ourselves in the future.”

For more information, or to register for the walk, contact Smith at (301) 689-7507.

Contact Tess Hill at thill@times-news.com.