BOCA RATON -Town Center at Boca Raton will welcome more than 400 walkers as part of the sixth annual “Keep Memories Alive” walk to benefit Florida Atlantic University’s Louis and Anne Green Memory and Wellness Center on November 6 at 9 a.m.
The walk is organized by the Memory and Wellness Center’s Caring Hearts Auxiliary that helps raise funds to provide scholarships to day center participants and caregiver support programs.
This year’s event theme will be “Steppin’ to the Oldies, Bobby Socks Optional!” and is co-chaired by Caring Hearts Auxiliary board members Debbie Gonzalez and Morgan Green and auxiliary members Kelli-Ann Bloechinger and Schuyler Thompson.
Walk organizers are also pleased to welcome presenting sponsor Bobby Campbell and Honorary Ambassador Christine E. Lynn and Honorary Chair Elaine J. Wold. The event’s Honorary Family will be Melissa and Michael Berg. Entertainment will be provided by Majic 102.7 FM.
According to Green, Last year’s “black-tie” walk at Town Center set a record by raising $180,000 and this year’s event promises an even greater turnout.
“It’s hard to believe how much this event has grown in five years,” said Green. “From 65 walkers in the first year to 400 walkers in the mall last year, our funds this year alone have grown by 75 percent.”
“We are proud of the fact that 90 percent of the monies raised from the event go directly back to Florida Atlantic University’s Louis and Anne Green Memory and Wellness Center, and our costs are under 10 percent. We feel confident we will reach our goal of $350,000 this year.”
The Memory and Wellness Center, located on FAU’s Boca Raton campus, is part of FAU’s Christine E. Lynn College of Nursing and averages 16,000 visits each year, and one-third of the visitors are caregivers who have found respite.
The center offers a wide range of services and programs to individuals with mild to moderate memory disorders, including Alzheimer’s disease and related dementia.
Visits start with a comprehensive memory evaluation that often helps diagnose a memory disorder and begin a treatment plan with a patient’s physician. The day center provides an active and secure place for families to bring spouses or parents who are experiencing memory loss, and the caregiver support programs have a positive impact on life at home.
“Town Center at Boca Raton is, again, thrilled to host this year’s ‘Keep Memories Alive’ walk,” said Ellen Korelitz, director of marketing and business development for the mall. “Over the past few years, our shoppers and merchants have really taken this cause to heart and united to make this walk successful, educational and fun. It is our hope that, together, we can find a cure for Alzheimer’s and other degenerative memory disorders.”
For more information about the 2011 “Keep Memories Alive Walk” or the Louis and Anne Green Memory and Wellness Center, call 561-297-4066 or visit www.fau.edu/memorywellnesscenter. You can also follow the Center on Facebook at Louis and Anne Green Memory and Wellness Center at FAU.