Local residents will join the Alzheimer's Association to honor those living with Alzheimer's and their caregivers on Monday, The Longest Day. People across the globe, including 40 teams in the state, will participate in The Longest Day to honor the strength, heart and endurance of those facing Alzheimer's with a day of activity.
The Longest Day is a sunrise-to-sunset team event to raise funds to fuel the care, support and research efforts of the Alzheimer's Association. On The Longest Day, thousands will complete approximately 16 hours of activity ranging from running, cooking and knitting to playing cards, to honor those living with Alzheimer's disease and their caregivers. Participants in The Longest Day are joining a global conversation about Alzheimer's disease, the brain and other dementias as part of Alzheimer's & Brain Awareness Month in June.
The Longest Day events in West Virginia kicked off June 4 in Beckley. Team "Beckley WV Rocks" hosted an all-day Rock-a-thon, where members of the community rocked in rocking chairs, sang karaoke, danced, and played card games. Events continue this weekend with a free music event (Team New Brew) in Martinsburg, a community art project (Art with Heart) in Charleston, and a cooking class (Team Marshall Health Neurology) in Huntington, just to name a few.
The City of Charleston has agreed to begin lighting up the Elk River Bridge along Kanawha Boulevard purple in honor of The Longest Day and Alzheimer's and Brain Awareness Month now through at least June 24.
To join a team or learn more about The Longest Day, visit alz.org/thelongestday or Facebook.com/fightalz. For more information about Alzheimer's disease, visit the Alzheimer's Association at alz.org.