The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
This past January during Alzheimer Awareness Month, 26 canvassers joined forces in Flin Flon to knock on doors in support of the Alzheimer Society of Manitoba raising over $2,900. It is the first time that Flin Flon has been part of the Alzheimer Society door-to-door campaign and it just took one phone call to get it going. "I received a phone call from the Alzheimer Society asking if I'd be willing to canvass and I told them I would. The girl I spoke with was so relieved because she said I was the first person she had talked to all night that said they would help. That really tugged at my heart," says Grace Crofford. Grace not only agreed to canvass for the Alzheimer Society of Manitoba, but she also coordinated the entire door to door campaign in Flin Flon! She said she began recruiting canvassers in December by writing letters to local churches asking for their assistance in getting the word out. "I was very, very pleased with the amount of help we received," she says. She said even although the cold weather had some affect, canvassers were still motivated to help out. "They were just absolutely phenomenal," says Grace, recounting how one young man canvassed in minus 50 wind-chill just to complete his route. She said they had to extend the timeline for canvassing an extra week due to the extreme cold. Grace added that most people were very receptive at the door. "There were people who went through every pocket in their house to give to the Alzheimer Society. The canvassers shared some very touching stories." Alzheimer Disease currently affects over 364,000 Canadians. In Manitoba, 15,000 people have been diagnosed with Alzheimer Disease or a related disorder. See 'Develop' P.# Con't from P.# An increasing number of Canadians are expected to develop Alzheimer Disease and related dementias in the coming years - 750,000 by the year 2031. The Alzheimer Society of Manitoba is a community based volunteer organization, whose mission is to alleviate the individual, family and social consequences of Alzheimer Disease and related disorders while supporting the search for a cure. As a province wide organization, the Society seeks to achieve its mission through community awareness.
