Don’t forget to Walk (to end Alzheimer’s)

Haven’t registered yet for the Walk to End Alzheimer’s?

Online registration is still being accepted at www.alz.org/kauaiwalk. Or, if you get up early on Saturday, registration at the walk site starts at 7:15 a.m. for the walk the two-mile course that starts at 8:15 a.m. at the Puakea Golf Course.

Benefiting the Alzheimer’s Association of Kauai, the event’s website already shows less than 300 people compared to the 400-walker crowd that Kauai Regional Coordinator Cindy Fowler was hoping for during a recent radio interview.

The walk is free, but all participants are encouraged to donate to the fight against Alzheimer’s disease and other types of dementia. And for those with no time to walk, Alzheimer’s Association contributions can be done through the www.alz.org/kauaiwalk website.

The website shows the goal for this year’s Walk to End Alzheimer’s is $69,000. To date, more than 280 participants from 56 teams have raised more than $57,000.

And, since the walk happens at the Puakea Golf Course, it is a no-brainer that breakfast comes from the Puakea Grill.

A new feature for the 2025 walk is the Tribute Wall where walkers can honor, celebrate and remember loved ones by posting a photo, message and reflections on why they walked.

It’s not just for the Promise Garden Flower, a specially colored flower that represents a walker’s connection to Alzheimer’s or another dementia. The blue flower represents someone living with Alzheimer’s; purple is for those who lost someone to the disease; yellow represents someone who is currently supporting or caring for a person living with Alzheimer’s; and orange is for those who support the cause, as well as the association’s vision of a world without Alzheimer’s and all other dementia.

A greeter will present participants with a Passport to Brain Health so the walker can learn healthy brain habits while enjoying the two-mile course. Completed passports earn eligibility to win a one-night stay in a deluxe studio at the Koloa Landing Resort that includes a $100 food and beverage credit.

Other prizes are available through the Purple Pin Challenge that is set up at the Puakea Golf Course Hole No. 6. Every registered participant will get one shot at getting closest to the pin for an opportunity to win one of several prizes, including a one-night stay at 1 Hotel Hanalei Bay with breakfast for four, a 75-inch TV, or a YETI cooler.

Additional swings can be purchased at the hole for $25 each, or online at five for $100.

Platinum sponsors for the event include Grove Farm, HMSA and Ohana Pacific Health.

Gold sponsors include 1 Hotel Hanalei Bay, Central Pacific Bank, Enterprise Rent-A-Car, First Hawaiian Bank, Gather Federal Credit Union, Grand Hyatt Kauai Resort and Spa, HawaiiUSA Federal Credit Union, Kauai Island Utility Cooperative and Koloa Landing Resort.

Silver sponsors include Bank of Hawaii, TGI, Pacific Media Group, Keoki’s Paradise, Kukuiula Development and Shioi Construction.
Source: The Garden Island