By LOIS KINDLE
lekindle@aol.com
South Shore residents of all ages will gather soon on the grounds of the United Methodist Church of Sun City Center to make a difference for others one step at a time.
Connie Lesko, left, founder of the South Shore Walk to End Alzheimer’s; The Rev. Cynthia Weems, pastor of the United Methodist Church of SCC; and Sean Andrews, the walk’s annual committee chairman, invite you to support this year’s event in whatever way you can.
They’ll be walking as individuals or in teams on Oct. 10 during the 19th Annual South Shore Walk to End Alzheimer’s, and plenty of supporters will be there to cheer them on. Leashed, well-behaved dogs are welcome.
The event is hosted by the church, sponsored by the Alzheimer’s Association and supported by local businesses in a variety of ways and features a brief opening program led by ABC Action News anchor Jamison Uhler at 9 a.m., followed immediately by the Walk.
“This is my fourth year chairing the Southshore Walk,” said chairman Sean Andrews, a local financial advisor with Edward Jones who lost his grandmother and four of her immediate family members to the disease. “Each year, this community has stepped up a little more, gone a little farther and exceeded our fundraising goals and I know it’s because we all have personal connections in some way to Alzheimer’s and dementia.
“It’s humbling to work with such dedicated people,” he continued. “We all share the same hope that one day soon we’ll have a cure for this terrible disease. In the meantime, we support one another and keep pushing toward that goal. Come join us.”
There are plenty of meaningful ways for you to take part in this year’s event. You can walk the two-mile route, make a donation or come cheer on friends and neighbors or lend a hand behind the scenes. Whatever you choose makes a difference.
ABC Action News anchor Jamison Uhler returns this year to emcee the 2026 South Shore Walk to End Alzheimer’s opening program.
Participants can join an existing team or start one of their own; make an individual contribution or encourage family, friends, coworkers or neighbors to walk with them and raise funds together. You can also support a team already registered by visiting alz.org/southshorewalk and making a donation.
Apollo Beach resident Janice Bayruns, owner of FirstLight Homecare of Southern Hillsborough County, never misses the event.
“The South Shore Walk is so uplifting. It’s personal for me,” she said. “My company supports it every year because Alzheimer’s affects so many people right here in our community.
“I’m walking with my friends, neighbors, people I work with and families we serve,” she added. “The smiles, the laughs, the inspirational stories — everyone walks arm in arm to support one another. It's what community is really all about.”
Even if you’re not walking, your presence matters. Come out to support those who are and make a tax-deductible donation while you’re there. If you can’t attend in person but wish to support the cause, you can write a check to the Alzheimer’s Association, earmark it for the South Shore Walk and mail it directly to
Florida Gulf Coast Chapter
14010 Roosevelt Blvd., No. 709
Clearwater, FL 33762.
The Promise Garden flowers represent each participant’s personal connection to the cause: blue for those living with the disease, purple for those they’ve lost, yellow for caregivers and orange for supporters who envision the end of Alzheimer’s.
Last year’s Walk raised $115,000. This year’s goal is to raise at least $1 more.
By the numbers
These are the latest, sobering statistics from the Alzheimer’s disease in the United States:
• More than seven million Americans, aged 65 and older, are living with Alzheimer’s.
• By 2050, that number is projected to be almost double at 13.8 million.
• One in three older Americans dies with Alzheimer’s or another form of dementia.
• Since 2000, deaths from Alzheimer’s have increased by 142%, while deaths from heart disease have declined.
• The projected cost of Alzheimer’s care in the United States for 2026 is $409 billion and is projected to be nearly $1 trillion by 2050.
Participants in a previous year’s South Shore Walk to End Alzheimer’s walk the two-mile route, either as individuals or in teams to raise funding for the Alzheimer’s Association. If you can’t walk, you can come cheer everyone on, make a donation or lend a hand behind the scenes.
• The lifetime cost of care for one person with dementia is estimated at $405,000, with about 80% of that burden falling on families.
• Thirteen million caregivers provide more than 19 billion hours of unpaid care valued at $446 billion.
Alzheimer’s affects far more than the person diagnosed — it reaches into families, workplaces and entire communities. The numbers are overwhelming, but so is the determination of those who continue to show up and push for progress.
Your help — in any form – pushes progress forward by fueling the Alzheimer’s Association’s research, advocacy and supportive care for families facing this disease.
Every step matters. Every gift matters. Every person matters. And every South Shore Walk brings us a bit closer to the cure we all hope for.
For more information, to register a team or join one or simply make a donation, visit alz.org/southshorewalk.