Premier Christy Clark joins Kelowna residents in Alzheimer’s Walk

A sea of blue filled the Mission Creek Regional Park Sunday as Kelowna residents joined hundreds of others from around the province in the Walk for Alzheimer’s.

Sunday’s walk was made extra special in Kelowna with an appearance from Premier Christy Clark. Donning a royal blue jacket, Premier Clark shared her own story of dementia.

“When my mother was suffering from dementia herself, I can remember thinking about how much she gave me when I was young and how important it was as I helped her through her decline and ultimately her death,” said Premier Clark.

“It was a chance for me to give something back to her and support her and really give her back some of the love she’d given to me.”

Also walking in Sunday’s event was the family of the late Bill Bennett. Bennett served as Premier of B.C. from 1975 to 1983, and was the force behind several significant projects in the province, including the building of the Coquihalla Highway and Vancouver’s Skytrain. Bennett was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease in 2007, ultimately passing away from the illness in his hometown of Kelowna in December, 2015. Bennett’s son Steve and his wife of 60 years Audrey joined the residents of Kelowna to walk Sunday, sharing their appreciation for the community and Alzheimer’s Society. Audrey Bennett stood by quietly with tears welling up in her eyes as her son spoke about his father.

“We just have to raise awareness,” said Steve Bennett.

“Today is such a great day, dad would have loved this, it’s sunny, and he would have led us on the walk. I’m just happy and proud that Maria Howard got me on board, and that I can get out and start talking about Alzheimer’s because it’s no secret, we do have to learn about it.”

Significant donations were made from the Bennett family and other local organizations prior to the start of the walk, along with a sizable contribution from the provincial government. Premier Clark announced that $2.7 million will go to fund First Link, a dementia support and resource program that helps British Columbian’s effected by the disease.

“First Link provides ongoing support for British Columbians living with the disease,” said CEO of the Alzheimer’s Society of B.C., Maria Howard.

The program is offered in more than 80 communities throughout B.C. and is currently accessed by more than 12,000 people in B.C. The program offers support for those living with dementia, along with their families, provides guidance to getting a diagnosis and connects people to resources in the community.

More than 60,000 British Columbian’s currently suffer from Alzheimer’s disease. Walk for Alzheimer’s events were held around the province to bring communities together as a search for a cure continues.

For more photos of this event, click here!