London’s Walk for Alzheimer’s blows away fundraising goal

With a goal of $130,000, London’s Walk for Alzheimer’s blew past that goal by tens of thousands of dollars. Brent Lale reports.

The Alzheimer Society Southwest Partners (ASSP) set a fundraising goal of $130,000 for their annual London walk.

By the time they cut the ribbon and started the event, they had nearly surpassed the $200,000 mark.

“It’s really exciting because this is one of our bigger fundraiser events of the year,” said Steph Ouellett, ASSP CEO. “We are so delighted to be able to bring those funds and support our community. We have 15,000 people in our London, St. Thomas, Tillsonburg and Woodstock areas that have some form of dementia. We need to support them with all the programs and services that we offer, and the fundraising here just helps us make that even better.”

Hundreds of people showed up Saturday on a beautiful day at Mother Teresa Secondary School in London, College Avenue Secondary School in Woodstock and Memorial Park in Tillsonburg.

There will be fourth event Sunday in St. Thomas.

“It warms your heart a little bit to see this turnout,” said Tim Grant, regional vice-president of IG Wealth Management, the presenting sponsor. “I’ve understood that some people are pretty competitive here on the donation side, which is great for the Alzheimer’s Society, but in a friendly way. The numbers this year are going to knock it out of the park. So, we’re really proud of everyone.”

More than 750,000 Canadians are currently living with dementia — and nearly one million is projected by 2030.

Funds raised support local programs delivered by the Alzheimer Society Southwest Partners, providing essential services for individuals and families impacted by dementia.

“This is important for us,” said Ouellett. “We really want to support all of our people living with dementia and our care partners that are navigating the journey of dementia and Alzheimer’s in our communities.”