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Saturday marked our first Memory Walk kickoff event of the summer. Our party at Samaritan Keep Home in Watertown was an opportunity for Memory Walk teams to register, learn more about walk, pick materials and meet other teams. For the second consecutive year, Chapter Volunteer Diane Charlebois has coordinated a Memory Ride to coincide with the party. The Memory Ride welcomed motorcycle enthusiasts to ride together through the Greater Watertown area in support of the Alzheimer’s Association. Charlebois runs the ride in memory of her father, Prosper, who died from Alzheimer’s disease.

Memory Walk kickoff parties will take place June and July in the Greater Syracuse, Mohawk Valley and St. Lawrence County areas.

See our photo gallery below for more scenes of the event!

Jeff-Lewis Kickoff Party

The chapter’s support group in Dexter, N.Y. will move its May meeting date. The group meets on the 4th Monday of each month, but due to Memorial Day it will meet on May 18.

The Dexter support group meets at the Dexter United Methodist Church on West Kirby Street.

Staff from the Alzheimer’s Association surprised siblings Michaela, Shauna and Landon Rice with its Outstanding Youth Volunteer awards during a special school assembly on Thursday. The trio was honored for the devoted care of their great-grandfather, who has dementia. The Rice children were nominated by Croghan resident Leah Schneider, a family friend who cited their weekly visits to the nursing home where their great-grandfather lives. The Rice children use their visits to spend time with other residents on their great-grandfather’s floor.

Schneider wrote: “Michaela, Shauna and Landon are taken to visit their great-grandfather each week. Not only do they visit their great-grandfather, but all the other patients on the floor, who adore their bright faces and smiles. The children feel very comfortable and outgoing with their great-grandfather, as well as everyone else, while sitting in their laps and giving hugs.”

News 10 Now covered the presentation and posted the video on their website.

The Alzheimer’s Association, Central New York Chapter presents an annual series of caregiving awards to family and professional caregivers, as well as children who volunteer their time caring for people with a dementing illness. More awards will be presented next week. Stay tuned for more!

Pictured with their awards, from left to right, are Landon, Michaela and Shauna Rice.

One new link has come around since last night’s wrap up. WWNY-TV in Watertown posted a story and video from their evening news, featuring a family struggling with the costs of Alzheimer’s care.

In addition, Toni Daley, the chapter’s director of development, appeared Movin’ 100.3/96.5 this morning to talk about yesterday’s launch and the upcoming chapter benefit night at the Syracuse Crunch. Movin is our next door neighbor in Syracuse and the media sponsor of the Greater Syracuse Memory Walk.

With the evening news wrapped up, here’s a quick look at where we’ve been today:

• Action News on NBC3 (via CNYCentral.com) in Syracuse
• News 10 Now (via News10Now.com) throughout Central New York
• NewsChannel 34 Evening News (via WIVT.com) in Binghamton –now with video
• NewsChannel 2 at Six (via WKTV.com) in Utica

In addition, spokespeople from the Central New York Chapter discussed the report on Syracuse’s WAER-FM and WWNY-TV in Watertown.