Santa Rosa student honors great grandmother through volunteerism

She may be the youngest member of the Sonoma-Marin Walk to End Alzheimer’s Planning Committee, but Audrey Hibdon still brings years of participation and fundraising to her work helping organize the 2021 Walk to End Alzheimer’s.

Hibdon, who just completed the sixth grade, attended her first walk when she was three years old, and she has been walking every year since. That first walk took place the same year she moved to Northern California and her mother started working with the Alzheimer’s Association.

“My mom started working with the Alzheimer’s Association when I was three years old, and I have been helping out ever since,” she said. “It’s fun to help, and it makes me feel good.”

And she has a personal reason, in addition to her mother’s occupation, to volunteer.

Hibdon lost her great grandmother, Barbara, to Alzheimer’s Disease just two years after having participated in her first walk. She was only five years old.

That is why she actively supports the Alzheimer’s Association and its annual walk. This year’s walk will take place on October 9th, and participants will have the option of participating in-person at Sonoma State University or donning their walk shirts and purple paraphernalia to walk on their own, wherever they would like.

While Hibdon did not have a great deal of time with her great grandmother, she still honors her memory by carrying a purple flower every year. Four brightly colored flowers are present at every walk, and each flower color is representative of the walkers who make the event possible: purple for those who have lost someone to Alzheimer's, yellow for caregivers, blue for those living with Alzheimer's and orange for supporters of the mission.

For her part, Audrey wishes more people her age knew about Alzheimer’s Disease. And in addition to walking, she is creating ways to help raise awareness among her peers.

“I’m a Girl Scout, and for my silver award next year I plan to do a project to raise awareness of Alzheimer’s among young kids,” says Hibdon. “I wish that other kids knew more about Alzheimer’s.”

Raising awareness is one way to relieve the stigma many families who care for a loved one with dementia can feel. Over time, as the disease attracts more attention and research funding, people may begin to overcome their hesitancy to talk openly about living with Alzheimer’s. This can help alleviate the loneliness and isolation that can be a part of caregiving and promote better health outcomes for caregivers themselves.

Last year, Hibdon put her creativity into action repurposing surplus Girl Scout cookies into delicious fundraising treats. “Last year at the end of cookie sales we had extra cookies and I was starting to love cooking and baking with my mom,” she said. “We decided to turn the extra cookies into delicious desserts. We raised about $500!”

For more information on the October 9 walk, go to act.alz.org/Sonoma-Marin2021.

The Walk to End Alzheimer’s takes place annually in over 600 communities nationwide. Taken together, walks around the country comprise the world’s largest event raising funds for the Alzheimer’s Association.

Money raised by the Sonoma-Marin walk will help fund local support groups and educational programs as well as critical research toward a cure for Alzheimer’s Disease.

Hibdon is a team captain for her walk crew, the Purple People. Team Purple People has a goal of raising $3000 this year.

You can visit Purple People's team page at bit.ly/team-purple-people

Audrey plans to keep signing up, and when she can helping plan, every year’s Walk to End Alzheimer’s. And when she is not volunteering, she will keep playing with her dogs, cooking, and playing basketball in her spare time.