Disaster-preparedness program planned locally – Mount Airy News
While there seems to be no end in sight for the coronavirus, 2021 was a good year in terms of gains made to subdue another health menace, Alzheimer’s disease, including a promising drug emerging.
“More people are becoming aware and more people are getting involved,” said Pamela Padgett, who is helping to spearhead efforts in Surry County addressing the debilitating condition affecting 6.2 million Am…….
While there seems to be no end in sight for the coronavirus, 2021 was a good year in terms of gains made to subdue another health menace, Alzheimer’s disease, including a promising drug emerging.
“More people are becoming aware and more people are getting involved,” said Pamela Padgett, who is helping to spearhead efforts in Surry County addressing the debilitating condition affecting 6.2 million Americans.
This included Padgett’s co-chairing of the annual Walk to End Alzheimer’s held at Riverside Park in Mount Airy on Sept. 18, with Robin Portis, and other efforts to generate funds needed for the fight and bring attention to the issue.
“As the year comes to an end and the last of the fundraising that supports our local walk is ending, we are in awe of all the awareness and funds that have been raised,” added Padgett.
She is human resources director for Behavioral Services Inc. in Mount Airy, and like many people has lost someone to Alzheimer’s — a grandmother, Mae Holt, in 2018 — which has motivated her to get involved in efforts to find a cure.
Although the walk was held in December as a major fundraising effort for that cause with the help of teams, money has continued to be generated as 2021 comes to a close.
“Our final total for the year is $77,582,” Padgett reported Wednesday, which she said is a record sum.
“This total speaks to the dedication to end Alzheimer’s,” she observed. “To still be in a pandemic and be able to raise this much money is phenomenal.”
A true team effort
After the annual Walk to End Alzheimer’s was conducted on a virtual basis in 2020 — because of COVID — but returned to normal in a big way.
“This year we had 66 teams, which is the most teams in the history of our local walk and had 368 participants, which also was a record-breaking number,” Padgett mentioned regarding the event. It is held in conjunction with the Western Carolina Chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association.
The individual teams — of businesses, families, churches and civic groups — conducted mini-campaigns that added up to the total, with one involving G & B Energy (captained by Natalie Eidson) leading the way by generating $11,000.
Other top teams were fielded by the RidgeCrest retirement community, which raised $9,468 under the leadership of Jennifer Johnson-Brown; The A Team led by Robin Portis, the co-chair of the walk, which raised $6,003; Memories of Mae, led by Padgett in generating $4,231; and Team Phil, (captained by Vickie Jordan), $3,170.
“All the teams in our walk did a wonderful job of not only fundraising, but raising awareness,” Badgett emphasized.
“Many people do Facebook fundraisers …….
Source: https://www.mtairynews.com/news/103753/disaster-preparedness-program-planned-locally
