Copyright keenesentinel
The 2025 Walk to End Alzheimer’s transformed the campus of Keene State College Saturday morning into a garden of pinwheel flowers: blue for people living with Alzheimer’s or another dementia, yellow for caregivers, orange for those supporting the fight for a cure and purple for those who have lost someone to the diseases. Alzheimer’s is a progressive neurological disorder that causes memory loss, behavior changes and other symptoms. One large family group walking together carried purple flowers for the multiple family members they’ve lost. “We want to support the cause so nobody else has to suffer,” said Alex Taaffe, whose grandmother died from Alzheimer’s. Also in the group, Stefanie Welch said she was there for her mom, who died from the disease last year. Dubbed the “Alzheimer’s Annihilators,” the team raised more than $2,000. Walk to End Alzheimer’s is the largest global event raising awareness and funds for Alzheimer’s research. There are some 600 walks nationally, with four in New Hampshire, throughout October. According to the event website, nearly seven million Americans are living with the disease, which ultimately affects about one third of seniors. Last year, the cost of Alzheimer’s and other dementias in the U.S. was about $360 billion. In New Hampshire, there were an estimated 26,000 individuals living with Alzheimer’s disease in 2024, according to the N.H. Department of Health and Human Services. The walks support the Alzheimer’s Association, which provides services like support groups and a helpline to people facing the disease and their caregivers, as well as investing in treatment and prevention research and advocating for legislation that “speaks up for the needs and rights of people affected by Alzheimer’s,” according to the organization’s website. Speaking on the green at Keene State Saturday morning Gregg Parrotto of Great Eastern Radio, one of the event’s sponsors, thanked the about 500 participants for turning out to support the association. “We have groundbreaking research going on around the globe because of the funds you’re raising,” he said. “... We won’t rest until anyone living with this disease can get the treatment and care they need and deserve.” There is currently no cure for Alzheimer’s, a disease which can require significant caregiving as it progresses. The Keene community had raised about $78,000 by Saturday morning. In the “garden” of pinwheel flowers planted on the green, two-year-old Evelyn wandered among the colors, spinning the petals this way and that. She was there with her mom, Carrie Fuller, a Keene State College alumna who now lives in Weare. Fuller returned to Keene Saturday to support her sister-in-law, who lost her mom to Alzheimer’s. Fuller’s grandmother also recently died from the disease. For their family, the walk was a chance to remember and to make a difference. “It’s a great day to come together to not only remember those we lost but also contribute to the cause,” Fuller said. “... Hopefully families in the future won’t have the same kind of loss.” The two-mile walk route started on Appian Way before looping up through downtown past Central Square to Cross Street and returning to Main Street via Washington Street before finishing back at the college. At the finish line, team MorMor’s Miles for Memories posed for a group picture with their purple flowers, celebrating raising about $500.
