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Walk to End Alzheimer’s set for Saturday at Wild Things Park

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Courtesy of the Alzheimer’s Association

A table is set up to distribute Promise Garden flowers to Walk to End Alzheimer’s participants at Wild Things Park in 2021.

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Courtesy of the Alzheimer’s Association

In this photo from last October, Karly, left, and Sherry Yancosek participated in the Walk to End Alzheimer’s as part of Team Nunny, in honor of Sherry’s mother and Karly’s grandmother, Gloria Borkowski, who died from the effects of Alzheimer’s disease in 2020.

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Photos courtesy of the Alzheimer’s Association

SP Floors for Audrey was the top fundraising team in 2021, raising more than $7,800.

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Courtesy of the Alzheimer’s Association

Wild Things Park will host the Alzheimer’s Association Walk to End Alzheimer’s Saturday.

Wild Things Park will again host the Alzheimer’s Association Walk to End Alzheimer’s this weekend.

Registration begins Saturday at 8 a.m. at the field at 1 Washington Federal Way. The opening ceremony begins at 9 a.m.

Sherry Yancosek of Washington will be among those walking. She also is a member of the committee for the event, becoming involved after her mother, Gloria Borkowski, was diagnosed with dementia in 2018. Borkowski died from the disease in 2020 at the age of 97.

“To see her go from this lovely, vibrant, hysterically funny woman to someone who didn’t even recognize us was difficult,” Yancosek recalled.

It was something Yancosek said devastated her daughter, Karly, who wanted to form a team to walk for Alzheimer’s. So, Team Nunny was born.

“Everybody called my mom ‘Nunny’,” Yancosek said. “We walk for Nunny.”

They began walking in 2019 and have done so each year since, including a virtual walk in 2020 with Karly’s dog, Hobie, who was clad in a purple T-shirt.

The Walk to End Alzheimer’s is the world’s largest fundraiser for Alzheimer’s Care, support and research. All proceeds benefit the Alzheimer’s Association.

Registered participants will receive Promise Garden flowers. Each color of a flower has a different designation: blue represents someone living with Alzheimer’s or another dementia; purple is for those who have lost someone to the disease; yellow represents someone who is currently supporting or caring for someone living with Alzheimer’s, and orange is for those who support the cause.

“When we’re walking and everybody raises their flowers it just feels comforting,” Yancosek said.

There also will be a solitary white flower at the ceremony for the person yet to be known. It’s symbolic of the first survivor.

Other activities scheduled for Saturday’s event, sponsored by Hollywood Casino at the Meadows, include an area for children, as well as music by disc jockey AJ Fresh.

Alzheimer’s disease is the most common type of dementia. One in 5 people will develop the disease. More than 6 million Americans are living with the disease, and more than 11 million family members and friends provide care to those living with it.

The goal for this year is to raise $75,000. As of Wednesday morning, $50,669 had been raised. There were 213 people registered to participate, as well as 37 teams.

Registrations are being accepted at act.alz.org/washington.

Yancosek would love to see more people participate, which may result in more donations and hopefully move closer to the goal of eradicating the disease.

“It would be great to have more people giving a little bit more money so we could eventually have that one white flower become a bunch of white flowers,” she said.

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