Organizers urge Bluffton residents to join Oct. 25 Walk to End Alzheimer’s

Tyler Mannion, an anchor at WTOC and executive event chair for the Alzheimer’s Association Bluffton walk, asked the Southern Lowcountry Regional Board and attendees to support the local Walk to End Alzheimer’s on October 25.

Mannion said the Bluffton walk historically draws about 400–500 people and that last year’s local fundraising totaled about $98,000. He placed the local event in a national context—more than 600 communities hold walks and some raise roughly $1 million—and cited prevalence numbers used by the association: "1 in 3 seniors" die with Alzheimer’s or another dementia and "more than 6,000,000 Americans" are living with the disease. Mannion described the walk’s ceremony, explaining the meaning of colored flowers participants carry to represent reasons for attending (support, caregiving, remembrance and hope).

Mannion said registration will open at 10 a.m. on the day of the walk, the ceremony runs about 45 minutes afterward, and community members may pre‑register (he displayed a QR code). He urged jurisdictions and civic teams to form walking teams and noted a local lunch challenge between municipal teams as a fundraising spur. He emphasized that participation does not require a donation: "Registration is free," he said, "You do not have to donate. We love when folks just come out and walk to support the cause."

Board members thanked Mannion and encouraged their jurisdictions to participate; no formal board action was taken during his presentation.