REHOBOTH BEACH, Del. - More than 430 people filled Grove Park on Saturday morning for the 2025 Walk to End Alzheimer’s, raising over $148,000 to support the Alzheimer’s Association’s mission to advance research, provide care and support, and advocate for those facing the disease.
Founded in 1980, the Alzheimer’s Association is the leading voluntary health organization in Alzheimer’s care, support, and research.
The Walk to End Alzheimer’s is held annually in more than 600 communities across the country and is the world’s largest fundraiser for Alzheimer’s care and research, according to the Alzheimer’s Association. Participants carried promise garden flowers in four colors, each representing a personal connection to the cause:
All flowers have different meaning depending on your relation to the disease.
Blue: Someone living with Alzheimer’s or another dementia
Yellow: A person currently supporting or caring for someone with the disease
Purple: Those who have lost someone to Alzheimer’s
Orange: Supporters of the cause and the Association’s vision of a world without Alzheimer’s
Custom messages and names can be written on flowers.
For Sonja Brown, a local caregiver, advocate, and Alzheimer’s educator, the Walk is a powerful reminder of the daily struggles faced by people living with the disease and those who care for them.
"Each day is different. Each day brings new challenges," said Brown, who cares for her husband, James. "One of the biggest challenges I’ve faced as an advocate is finding the right resources both for caregivers and for those living with the disease."
She added that access to support is especially difficult. "Especially in this area, and especially for people of color, the information and resources just aren’t as readily available," she said.
Once the walk started people made their way through the city.
Stephanie McDonough, now participating in her 23rd Walk, knows firsthand the toll the disease can take. She lost both her husband and mother-in-law to Alzheimer’s.
"This gives us hope and provides the funding needed to continue research so that someday my great-grandchildren won’t have to face this disease," McDonough said. "It’s just devastating."
For Ashley Mittelmeier, the Southern Delaware Walk manager, the large crowd brought both pride and pain a clear reflection of how many families have been affected by Alzheimer’s.
"I’m a little emotional this morning," Mittelmeier said. "To see this much awareness is amazing. This is a terrible disease that impacts too many people, especially in our state, let alone the entire country."
Mittelmeier added, "We are in a treatment era, and that’s exciting. But it’s bittersweet the number of people here shows just how many are affected and how many are coming out to show their support."
She shared a personal connection: "My grandmother had Alzheimer’s and passed away 12 years ago this month. It was devastating for my mom, for my grandfather."
The Scope of the Disease
(All statistics provided by the Alzheimer’s Association and Walk to End Alzheimer’s.)
More than 7 million Americans are living with Alzheimer’s in 2025
Over 55 million people are living with dementia worldwide
More than 12 million Americans provide unpaid care for someone with Alzheimer’s or another dementia
One in three seniors dies with Alzheimer’s or another dementia
Alzheimer’s is the sixth-leading cause of death in the U.S., killing more people than breast and prostate cancers combined
From 2000 to 2021, deaths from Alzheimer’s have more than doubled
The cost of Alzheimer’s and other dementias is projected to reach $384 billion in 2025 and nearly $1 trillion by 2050
About the Alzheimer’s Association
Founded in 1980, the Alzheimer’s Association is the leading voluntary health organization in Alzheimer’s care, support, and research. The Association funds critical scientific studies, provides public education, and offers support services to families living with dementia.