COCC ‘plants’ promise garden of pinwheels ahead of Sunday’s Central Oregon Walk to End Alzheimer’s

(update: Adding video, comments from COCC and Walk to End Alzheimer's team)

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) -- Ahead of Sunday’s Central Oregon Walk to End Alzheimer’s, Central Oregon Community College set up their first temporary Promise Garden Monday evening, featuring the flower-shaped pinwheels carried by walkers to represent their connection to the disease.

COCC planned to install nearly 100 of the pinwheels in front of the college’s Health Careers Center on the Bend campus. Members of the public are invited to visit and view the garden.

“This is meant to raise awareness of the disease and create a tangible connection to Alzheimer’s for our staff, faculty, students and the broader community,” explained Jennifer Chance, COCC enrollment specialist and community engagement chair for the walk’s planning committee. “It symbolizes a promise to work toward a cure with advocacy, support and remembrance.”

A team of COCC faculty and staff, currently comprised of 13 members, is walking on Sunday to raise funds for the Alzheimer’s research event, Chance added.

The Promise Garden will be relocated to Bend’s Riverbend Park on Sunday for the one-mile walking event, with free registration starting at 11 a.m.

The event uses four color-coded pinwheels: Purple representing someone who has lost a loved one to Alzheimer’s; yellow representing someone caring for a loved one with Alzheimer’s; blue representing someone living with Alzheimer’s; and orange denoting participants who may not have a direct connection to the disease but who support the movement.

"Purple is the color that I carry in honor of my dad, Jim." said Jennifer Chance.

It's a way to build community and show people that they are not alone in the fight.

Kaitlyn Bertholet, walk manager for the Alzheimer's Association of Oregon and SW Washington, said, "I lost two grandmothers to dementia, and I really want to make sure that other families have the support that they need as they're going through their own journey."

Held annually in more than 600 communities nationwide, the Walk to End Alzheimer’s is the world’s largest fundraiser for Alzheimer’s care, support and research.

Last year, the fundraiser brought in over $89,000. This year, they're aiming to raise $100,000.

Bertholet said, "We have nearly 7 million Americans that are currently living with Alzheimer's. So we're here for all of them."

Over 200 participants and 70 teams have registered for the Central Oregon walk, according to their website. You can still sign up to register or donate online.