With necessity being the mother of invention, the fifth edition of the Walk to End Alzheimer’s in Laredo adapted to the COVID-19 pandemic with a hybrid event Saturday featuring a virtual opening ceremony, a drive-through Promise Garden hosted at Texas A&M International University and participants walking remotely while sharing the experience through an app and social media.

“The walk went great. It was fantastic,” walk manager Christina Higgs said. “We did our opening ceremonies virtually, and the walkers logged in through the app and did exactly what we asked them to which was lace up their shoes and walk safely in their neighborhoods. People came by TAMIU and did the drive-through Promise Garden. They stayed in their cars, wore masks and were respectful of TAMIU’s and our wish to keep everybody safe. It was a beautiful day. I couldn’t be happier.”

Joe Arciniega, a board member for the San Antonio & South Texas chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association and an ambassador for District 28, has been a fervent supporter of the Alzheimer’s Association since losing his father to the disease more than five years ago. In the fifth edition of the Walk to End Alzheimer’s in Laredo, he was encouraged by the support they received despite the pandemic

“We envisioned a completely different experience, and obviously COVID had other plans. It was different but in a great way,” Arciniega said. “This was a groundbreaking event because our only options were not to do it at all or just plow ahead. We didn’t want to do an all-virtual event, so doing the hybrid was exciting. It feels like we pulled it off. The Promise Garden at TAMIU was great. I feel really satisfied about that. We weren’t going to let COVID stop us from having our event.

“Considering the devastation of COVID, nobody expected us to raise the funds and deliver on the number of participants we were able to do. That was exciting. We didn’t give up. We went ahead with it. It was challenging, but it turned out great. We were so grateful to those sponsors who didn’t know what this was going to look like and dove right in. In some cases they even raised their sponsorship.”

Higgs also expressed appreciation for the event’s partners and sponsors along with the overall sense of support in the Laredo community.

“TAMIU was fantastic today. We did not want for anything out there on campus,” Higgs said. “They were a huge champion for us today. One of the great things about the walk in Laredo is that if you need something, there is somebody who is there to help you with it right away. It’s a big community with a small-town feel.”

Saturday’s walk featured 371 registered walkers and 44 teams which had raised 83% of an undisclosed goal as of Saturday evening. While the main event was held Saturday, the fundraising will continue through the end of 2020. Anyone interested in participating or donating can visit alz.org/walk for more information.

“Fundraising does not stop today,” Higgs said. “We’ll be accepting money through Dec. 31. We had a bunch of people who signed up today, so they’re able to activate their teams, reach out to the community and keep their fundraising going until the end of the year.”

Arciniega is focused on continuing to build on that attention due to the high risk of Alzheimer’s and dementia in Laredo. As highlighted by the Alzheimer’s Association’s Chief Science Officer Dr. Maria Carrillo during a presentation in Laredo in early March, the issue is especially prevalent in Laredo since Hispanics are 1.5 times more likely than whites to have Alzheimer’s and other dementia, and they are less likely to receive a diagnosis.

“Our walk was a watermark walk last year and really put Laredo on the map in terms of the funds raised, the sponsorships and the participants. The association itself has had a lot of attention placed on Laredo,” Arciniega said. “In the board meetings I’m in, it’s clear there is a buzz about Laredo. There is a concern about the level of people being diagnosed and infected because Hispanics get it 1.5 times more than non-Hispanic whites. There is a concentration in a city like Laredo that people are concerned about.

“We have to pay attention here. These events are fun, but we’re dealing with a serious killer that has no cure yet. All the resources and attention we can get down here are for our own good.”

The awareness for Laredo’s fight against Alzheimer’s has even extended to Washington. Congressman Henry Cuellar — who recently co-sponsored the Promoting Alzheimer's Awareness to Prevent Elder Abuse Act which passed unanimously — participated in Saturday’s opening ceremonies, and State Senator Judith Zaffirini spoke for a pep rally leading up to the walk.

“It’s inspiring that this year you will be walking for the 400,000 Texans and the 5.8 million Americans living with Alzheimer’s,” Zaffirini said. “With that in mind, our goal is simple, but it’s heartfelt: to thank you, the walkers and the volunteers, to your dedication for this now different but equally meaningful cause. As COVID-19 presents its challenges, you meet them. This is now your walk, your way. You won’t walk together, but you won’t walk alone. The walk is everywhere.”

“I would like to thank all the walkers and all the volunteers for creating a world without Alzheimer’s and other dementia,” Cuellar said. “This is an important issue that has affected so many people in our community which is why I recently co-sponsored a promoting Alzheimer’s awareness to prevent elder abuse act to ensure better outcomes for our victims of abuse living with dementia.”

Along with raising funds and raising awareness, another success Saturday was having multiple people reach out for help due to the event. Three people contacted the organization Saturday expressing interest in its support groups. Anyone interested in support groups can visit alz.org/sanantonio for more information or call the 24/7 helping at (800) 272-3900.

“The walk is for us to raise money, but the fact we had people reach out for help was also huge,” Higgs said.

Despite the success of this year’s walk, everyone involved is hopeful to return to a large, in-person event in 2021. However, many lessons were learned from the virtual edition which will be incorporated next year including the ability for people to participate in Laredo’s walk from anywhere around the world along with an expanded social media presence.

“It’s always a great community bonding event. I’m looking forward to getting back together with all the people,” Arciniega said. “We will recover from COVID and go back to enjoying giant groups of people, but this idea of walking where you are is the perfect thing to expand the event. We had people we know in El Paso, Austin and even in California walking for the Laredo walk. They can still do that even when we’re all back at TAMIU walking. That’s exciting.”