Volunteers play a vital role in the IG Wealth Management Walk for Alzheimer’s

April 14 – 20, 2024, is National Volunteer Week and the theme is “Every moment matters.” As an organization that was started by volunteers, the Alzheimer Society of B.C. is proud to celebrate every volunteer and their unique contribution to improve the lives of people on the dementia journey. With the number of British Columbians living with dementia rising, we need the support of volunteers more than ever.

The IG Wealth Management Walk for Alzheimer’s, presented by Go Auto, could not happen without volunteers. Every year, over 300 volunteers across B.C. take on a variety of roles to help make our largest fundraising event a success.

Each Walk community has a committee of volunteers who work together to plan for and promote the event with support from staff. Walk Chairs are responsible for organizing their local event and by engaging their communities to support the event through sponsorship, participation and fundraising. They stay connected with us year-round to participate in training and planning.

“I became involved with the Walk in 2019 to honour my grandmother, who lived with Alzheimer’s disease for almost a decade,” says Tasia Karasick, Walk Chair in White Rock and Surrey. “The Chair position grew from my professional role as an Associate Consultant with IG Wealth Management, the national Walk sponsor. Motivated youth and adults, provincial leadership, people living with dementia and care partners come together to make the Walk happen and I truly think it makes a difference in the lives of people affected by dementia.”

Committee members use their valuable skills to take on various roles, coordinating responsibilities such as promotion and publicity, social media, recruitment, sponsorship, accounting and volunteer management. They spend countless hours leading up to the Walk preparing to make sure the day is a success and to let their communities know how they can get involved.

Without event-day volunteers, the plans Walk committees work so hard to create could not be executed. Event-day volunteers help with various activities such as setting up, cleaning up, registering participants, painting faces, providing general support and more. With some Walks hosting over 300 participants, event-day volunteers play a key role in creating a vibrant, positive atmosphere that makes participants feel safe and supported. 

“Without volunteers on the front lines, the Walk would not be the success it is,” says Dunn.

Volunteer involvement in the Walk helps us engage more participants and reach fundraising goals to provide crucial Alzheimer Society of B.C. programs and services, as well as enabling research into the causes of and cure for the disease. Thank you, to all of our Walk volunteers, we can’t do this without your support!