Alzheimer’s Walk raises $69,000
June 2, 2025, 8:21 am
Ashley Bochek, assistant editor
Moosomin raised $68,967 at its second annual Walk for Alzheimer’s on Saturday, May 24.
Over 100 people attended the walk and put the Town of Moosomin on the map across the province.
Maureen Harrison, the Director of Revenue Development for the Alzheimer’s Society in Saskatchewan, participated in the Moosomin Walk for Alzheimer’s and said she enjoyed seeing the community come together for such an incredible event.
“I am the Director of Revenue Development for the Alzheimer’s Society in Saskatchewan. We had five in-person walks this year—Regina, Saskatoon, Prince Albert, Swift Current, and Moosomin.
“We have five people on the revenue development team, and so we each of us went to one of the locations to be on site that day. I put up my hand when we were deciding on where to go and said, ‘I would love to go to Moosomin!’”
Harrison says she had heard great things about Moosomin’s first Walk for Alzheimer’s last year.
“Last year the town did a ‘Walk-in-a-Box’, so they organized their own walk with a little bit of help from us, from the Alzheimer’s Society, and they were so successful last year that I knew I would love to come out for the walk this year.
“Partly too because it is in my home area. I grew up in Rocanville so I said I wanted to go back—not that I would know a lot of people, but to see the Moosomin walk and be part of it.”
Harrison says she enjoyed chatting with volunteers at the walk. “I did know Bill Thorn’s daughter, Angela, because we sort of knew each other in high school and had spent some time together in university so it was good to catch up with her. I said and knew I was just going to send myself to Moosomin.”
Moosomin’s walk
Harrison says she noticed the community’s pride and support for the Alzheimer Society in Moosomin.
“My experience of the walk in Moosomin was amazing. There is such a big support group and crew of volunteers in Moosomin.
“When I pulled up, the volunteers were all there and had started setting up, and I had brought some additional supplies. Bill Thorn, Diane MacLeod, Rene Whelpton with the Alzheimer Society in Moosomin, and Kelsey Nagy with IG Wealth Management, the rep in Moosomin—the ones in charge—were so helpful and we got all set up and ready to go.
“Lots of people started showing up with their donations and ready to walk. There was a lot of energy and excitement on site and it was just great to see the community come together and support such a good cause—obviously a cause that I feel is very important.”
She says it was great to see kids participate in the walk. “I loved to see that there were all ages from kids—which was amazing to see—and younger families to older folks and couples. There were people there from all generations. It was great to see. It was a real good sense of energy and the people there felt strongly about supporting the cause. It was great to see the community rally together and raise such an incredible amount of funds. It was wonderful.”
Moosomin second in province
Harrison explains Moosomin’s walk raised close to $69,000.
“There are still some donations that can roll in over the next few days and weeks. I actually had Bill email me last Thursday saying, ‘Oh, I got another $50! How can I get it to you?’ So we are still waiting on calculating some of those donations.
“The unofficial total for Moosomin is $68,967. On the day of the walk, Bill, was what we call our, ‘Why I Walk’ speaker. We like to have somebody at each location talk about why they choose to participate in the event and how they have been touched in their lives by Alzheimer’s or other dementias whether it is a family or a friend. Bill was our ‘Why I Walk‘ speaker, it was exciting when he got up and announced that an anonymous donor and family friend had made a $50,000 donation to support the Moosomin walk. That is a really generous donation, but even aside from that—the community raising $19,000 almost $20,000 on its own is amazing as well. It is really incredible for the community of Moosomin.”
Harrison lists the other communities fundraising totals in Saskatchewan.
“Including that $50,000 donation, Moosomin is the second biggest total in Saskatchewan. Saskatoon was just over $76,000, Regina was just over $59,000, Prince Albert was close to $40,000, and Swift Current came in at $8,000.”
Proud of community
Harrison says Moosomin held another successful fundraiser for the Alzheimer Society.
“It is quite amazing for a smaller community—and the smallest community hosting an official walk—to raise that much money.
“It shows the incredible spirit of generosity in the community. I also think it highlights the fact that Alzheimer’s and dementia does touch so many people and that people are able to open their wallets and pocketbooks to support something so amazing. It is likely because they have been touched by it in some way, whether it is a family member, a close friend, or a friend within the family, we all know that Alzheimer’s and dementia touches a lot of people and Moosomin’s walk showed that.”
She says the day brought sunshine and warm weather.
“The weather was fantastic, the sun was shining, so that was great. The community really came together and the volunteers did an excellent job, those four really led the charge, but they also brought a group of people to volunteer, and it was just really well put together. I spoke very highly about the committee and I kept in touch with a few of them after just to express our gratitude about how well they’ve done with this. We just want to support them as best we can.”
National statistics on Alzheimer’s
Harrison adds some information regarding Alzheimer’s and the Alzheimer Society in Saskatchewan and Canada.
“There are over 20,000 people living with dementia in Saskatchewan. That number is expected to more than double by 2050.
“The Alzheimer Society has programs and services to help people with dementia and their families through our Dementia Helpline and through our First Link program. We have Lori Tulloch in Broadview, as our First Link Coordinator in our area, and she works with the Alzheimer Society.
“She is available as a local resource for folks to facilitate the support groups. Lori has worked very closely with the support group in Moosomin and she also attended the walk in Moosomin.
“Last year the Alzheimer Society provided services to more than 3,300 people in over 300 communities. So we really do work all across the province.
“IG Wealth Management is the national sponsor for the walk. The walk is a set weekend all across Canada. There are 150 communities across the country who participate in the walk.
I believe the overall fundraising goal was $6 million for the walk and it was looking positive that it will be another successful year.
“It is a great fundraiser and I think it is great to see the communities come together and walk for their loved ones or be part of a community initiative.”
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