I discovered at 6:30 a.m. on the day of the Walk to End Alzheimer’s that despite having read up online on all the steps to make percolator coffee, I had forgotten one critical element – the cups to pour it into. Luckily, we live in a town where early store hours are a thing, so within the thirty minutes it took to perk 42 cups of coffee, I drove to Walmart and was back at Yavapai College with a few hundred coffee cups in my arms.
Student volunteers from Embry-Riddle were busy emptying a U-Haul full of supplies to make the big day successful. People were setting up tables, blowing up a starting gate arch, pushing pinwheel Memory Garden flowers into the ground, and trying not to pinch their fingers setting up the tent canopies. The DJ began pumping out upbeat music to cheer us along as we worked.
I watched the pieces fall into place over the next two hours, a mixture of pride and relief. The parking lot began to fill with cars. Participants of all ages wearing purple t-shirts took a few minutes after checking in to personalize their flowers with the name of the person they were walking for, planting them and posing for photos in front of the sea of purple, yellow, blue, and orange pinwheel flowers spinning in the wind, symbolizing the many people who are living with or have lost their battle with Alzheimer’s.
I have joined my share of walks, runs, and other fundraising events over the years as a participant. Until I signed up to be on the planning committee for this year’s walk, I never truly appreciated how much work goes into the actual creation of these events I’ve enjoyed.
Whether it’s the Friends of Jersey Lily raising money to light the courthouse square for Christmas, or the upcoming Trails 4 Tatas off-roading for breast cancer, the Whiskey Row Marathon to support the YMCA, or any of the myriad other events that happen each month in Everybody’s Hometown, it takes an enormous amount of people and effort to make it happen, even if it looks easy when you show up for the event. We are lucky to live in a community where so many people are willing to volunteer their time, donate their money, and use their skills to continue to make this a great place.
Here’s the best part about volunteering – you will make amazing new friends, some of whom you will keep for a lifetime! When Mike and I moved to Prescott 11 years ago this month, we only knew my parents. After reading through the volunteer opportunities in the Daily Courier, I applied to volunteer with our therapy dog Chase at a local hospice, and that turned into a wonderfully unexpected career. We’ve held the donation bucket at the Prescott Valley of Lights while watching carloads of happy faces roll by, drove floats in local parades, worked the Lions Pancake breakfasts, and participated in fundraising walks and runs.
Maybe you’ve thought about getting involved as a volunteer but you aren’t sure where to start or you aren’t ready to commit to an ongoing assignment. There’s a website called JustServe.org that lets you search for opportunities by zip code, with local agencies posting events and activities where they need volunteers. It can be as simple as an hour of your time helping with a craft at a long-term care facility or clearing the tables during the annual Lions Pancake Breakfast. I learned about JustServe.org when a couple of volunteers showed up to do just that. Whatever you are passionate about or have time for, I have no doubt there’s someone who would love your help.
I’m proud to say we made our fundraising goal of $110,000 for the Quad Cities Walk to End Alzheimer’s this year through the generosity of everyone involved. We had more teams and participants than we have ever had. And hopefully, someday there will no longer need to be a Walk to End Alzheimer’s because we’ll have found the cure. Until that time, I’ll happily volunteer to make the percolator coffee, now that I’m all trained. And next year, I won’t forget the cups.
Prescott-area resident Kelly Paradis is the Prescott Evening Lions Club president and community liaison for Good Samaritan Home Health, Hospice and Marley House. She loves listening to and writing stories about life.