On September 29th, hundreds of people gathered in Mission Creek Park, dressed in purple and ready to walk the annual San Francisco Walk To End Alzheimer’s.

Supporters walked a three-mile loop starting at Mission Creek Park, many laden in personalized shirts, banners, and signs dedicated to close relatives and friends who’ve been affected by the disease.

The walk’s purpose is to raise awareness and funds to care for those with Alzheimer’s. Those who didn’t participate in the walk were welcome to volunteer or to donate money to the Alzheimer’s Association.

Junior Natalie Vaughan participated in the walk on behalf of her parents’ company Home Instead, which provides care for senior citizens.

“My parents started the business because my grandpa had Alzheimer’s,” said Vaughan.  “They had to take care of him and even though he died late last year, they knew they wanted to begin helping others like him.  That’s why the walk’s so important to me – I’m walking for my grandpa.”

Vaughan said that kids often do not think about Alzheimer’s despite how many people are affected by it.

A handful of Redwood students also participated in the event, all as part of the Community Service Club run by juniors Morgan Tardy and Erin Denny.

“I found out about the Alzheimer’s walk through reading an article about Don Kreps [Redwood’s first principal] and decided that volunteering at the walk to support the Kreps family would be beneficial to the Redwood community,”  Denny said.

Denny said the Alzheimer’s Walk was a great start for the club.

“It was a great experience cheering for people that were walking for a cause,” she said. “It was definitely a rewarding experience that the club members and I will always remember.”