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Members of the Bainbridge Rotary Club met for their weekly meeting at the Kirbo Center on Tuesday afternoon. The meeting began with Rotary President Tommie Howell discussing club business, as well as with the pinning of a new member, Dan Bloch, by member Merreann McDonald.

Following the pinning, the guest speakers of the day were Chrystal Bell and Kathy Varner, who spoke about the upcoming Walk to End Alzheimers. Bell gave a brief presentation about Alzheimer’s and dementia, presenting information about which demographics are more susceptible to Alzheimer’s, as well as the symptoms and methods to protect against it.

“The Alzheimer’s Association, our mission is a world without Alzheimer’s and all other dementias,” she said. She emphasized the importance of early diagnosis to prevent the disease’s progression.

After Bell finished speaking, Kathy Varner, co-chair of the local Walk to End Alzheimer’s, spoke. She gave a brief history of how the walk was established in Bainbridge, starting with her and several others discussing the impact dementia had been having on their families and loved ones. It was Thea Burke that suggested the Walk to End Alzheimer’s, after attending one in Tallahassee. Initially, they were told by the Alzheimer’s Association that they believed the Bainbridge community was too small. The group was able to convince the Association to a one-year trial attempt.

In the eight years since, the Bainbridge Walk has raised over a quarter of a million dollars.

The Bainbridge Walk to End Alzheimers has since expanded to include a tennis tournament, a golf tournament, and will feature a pickleball tournament this year as well. The Walk itself is scheduled for October 19, 2024, beginning at 10:00 AM.