The Farmville Walk to End Alzheimer’s, part of the Southeastern Virginia chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association, one of Sigma Kappa Sorority’s national philanthropies, began at Longwood University’s Lancaster Hall on Oct. 3 at 5 p.m. BayPort Credit Union also regionally sponsored the event.
According to Erin Miller, volunteer walk chair and vice president of philanthropic service of the Delta Nu chapter of Sigma Kappa, $7,164 was raised by the day of the walk, including the funds accumulated at the walk’s Chick-fil-A Spirit Night. Miller said the amount raised at the walk has not yet been determined. She added that about 250 people participated in the walk.
Miller said one of Sigma Kappa’s main philanthropies is Alzheimer's Disease/Gerontology. “We want to raise awareness and money to help find an end to this horrible disease,” she said. On a personal level, her grandfather passed away from Alzheimer’s in 2012.
Miller said Sigma Kappa worked with the Alzheimer’s Association “hand in hand … the day of the event, having everything set up and having registration run smoothly. Leading up to the walk, they were a great support system to any questions we had about the walk.”
The walk proceeded from Lancaster Hall to the sidewalks surrounding campus, going from High Street to Griffin Boulevard to the Robert Russa Moton Museum and back through Main Street near the campus’s baseball fields.
Miller said it was rewarding to see “how many people showed up. I love that it wasn't just Longwood students there … members of the community participated.”
