Celebrating Climb for Alzheimer’s volunteers

Thank you to everyone who joined us at Grouse Mountain on Sunday, September 22 as we celebrated the 14th and final Climb for Alzheimer’s. We had an incredible turn out and show of support from the community! A record-breaking 360 participants came together to celebrate the final year and raise vital funds to support people across the province affected by dementia. 

The Climb was inspired by the Ascent for Alzheimer’s, an annual fundraising trek up Mt. Kilimanjaro that ran for many years, starting in 1998. Sue Oakey, who guided fundraisers on the epic hike each year, attended the event and shared her motto for going up the mountain: “pole, pole” meaning “slowly, slowly.” “We just keep going, step by step, and everybody contributes a little bit,” said Oakey.

Over its 14-year history, the Climb would not have been possible without the help of an incredible team of volunteers. Volunteers helped with setup and tear down, registration and check-in, food and beverages, bag check, cheer stations, hosting the dementia trivia wheel and more! Our volunteers went above and beyond to help make this a memorable event for everyone involved.  

We’re excited to announce that this year’s event raised more than $164,000! This wouldn’t have been possible without the participants, donors, volunteers and other supporters who rallied their families, friends and colleagues to donate. 

Thank you too all the volunteers who helped make the Climb possible. Together, we raised critical funds and awareness to help us build a community of care for the more than 85,000 people in B.C. who are living with dementia. 

To read stories from community members and view the event’s photo album, click here.