York Town News
Sentry Hill to host Memory Walk on Oct. 7
By Virginia L. Woodwell
YORK HARBOR - Sentry Hill staff and residents are looking to October, when the annual Memory Walk will provide a chance to assist the Maine Alzheimer's Association.Last year, Memory Walks held statewide raised nearly $312,200.
This year's statewide goal is $320,000, and Home Instead Senior Care in Kennebunk is teaming up with Sentry Hill to sponsor the local walk with a goal of $12,500 or more.
To meet that goal, sponsorship pledges have been sought at levels between $250 and $10,000; other pledges remain welcome at any level. Raffle tickets, at $10 each, are also being sold as part of this fundraiser, with the prize a timeshare vacation for a week at a location of the winner's choice.
Potential donors are also being encouraged to give in other ways: by direct monetary donation, online or otherwise; by a gift item or gift certificate that can be used in a raffle; by hosting other fundraisers, or staging a raffle themselves.
The walk itself will begin at Sentry Hill at York Harbor on Oct. 7 and proceed for 3.5 miles; registration for it will start at 8:30 a.m. there on that day. A "gourmet hot-dog" lunch will follow the walk, along with the raffle drawing and the awarding of some prizes.
Nationwide, according to the Alzheimer's Association, it's estimated that 4 million Americans suffer from Alzheimer's disease; in Maine, the figure for those with Alzheimer's or a related dementia is pegged at close to 30,000.
According to York's Memory Walk sponsors, "The Maine Alzheimer's Association provides information and support services to people with Alzheimer's disease and their families and caregivers. All funds raised stay in Maine to support our programs and services."
Nationally, says the literature, "For more than 20 years, the Alzheimer's Association has provided reliable information; created supportive programs and services for families; increased resources for dementia research, and influenced changes in public policy."
Its annual Memory Walk, held in 680 communities nationwide, has helped raise more than $120 million.
For more information about the Oct. 7 Memory Walk at Sentry Hill, contact Amy Fuller, director of social work at Sentry Hill at York Harbor, at 363-5116, or Margy Gambell, R.N., community service director at Home Instead Senior Care, at 985-8550.
