Uko Akpanuko
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Daily Herald
The 2025 Walk for Alzheimer’s was held on Saturday at the Kinsmen Park for the first time, as organizers decided to switch from the traditional indoor event that has been held every January at the Alfred Jenkins Fieldhouse for the past three years.
Laura Erickson, the Alzheimer Society of Saskatchewan’s First Link Coordinator for Prince Albert and area, was the main speaker at the event. Erickson said she supports the walk for multiple reasons.
“The very first reason that I walk is to honour those that have gone before us, those that are coming after us and those that are still with us,” she said. “How do we not honour those people? The walk allows us to do that in a way that’s meaningful.
“My Second reason is that we raise some very badly needed funds because we are never going to stop the tidal wave of dementia and Alzheimer disease unless we have money for research. Those research dollars are critical. That is what fundraising does. Number three is that Prince Albert is a lovely city in the spring. It’s great to be outside with likeminded people just enjoy yourself.”
Attendees held a moment of silence before the walk officially began. The walkers were also took part in a stretching exercise as part of the opening ceremony and guest speakers delivered their talks to support the project.
Erickson said every 24 hours there are 20 people who experience the onset of Dementia and Alzheimer’s Disease in Saskatchewan. There are already around 20,000 to 25,000 people who have been diagnosed.
“That’s a lot of people, and that’s like half or less (the actual number) because it’s such a hard disease to diagnose,” Erickson said.
The Walk for Alzheimer’s raised nearly $40,000, with the Malcolm J. Jenkins Family Foundation and the Ripley Family contributing $25,000.
Erickson said they were grateful for the support.
“It’s really important to raise awareness,” she said. “We all know people who have Alzheimer’s Disease or Dementia … and the ripple effect (means) it’s not just that person or just that family. It is an isolating disease … but at the same time we need to somehow get word out that it’s a disease. It’s not about people, it’s about the disease and separating those two things is often a challenge.”
The goal for all the walks taking place across Saskatchewan is to raise a combined $200,000.
–with files from Michael Oleksyn/Daily Herald
