Goodwin CEO Stephen Holmes with walkers Michael Adler (98) and event organsier Sue Brudenall.
98-year-old resident Michael Adler was the first to sign up.
He was one of the 170 residents, aged 62 to 98-year-old Michael, at the retirement village who, walking solo and in groups with their walking frames, walking sticks, and walking poles, wanted to take 50,000 steps in 12 hours from 7am to 7pm on Thursday, 21 March, to raise money for Dementia Australia.
Each circumference of the village was 1,000 steps. At the conclusion of the walk, the total number of steps taken was an amazing 272,040 steps, which translates to 136kms.
Originally setting a goal to raise $2,000 for Dementia Australia, Goodwin Village Crace met their target before the walk commenced. The total now stands at $11,323. Cash donations received in the Clubhouse total $3,130 and the raffle added another $507. Please consider adding to the amount here.
Goodwin Village Crace resident and event founder Sue Brudenall said it was an easy way to help the estimated 421,000 Australians living with a form of dementia.
“I haven’t got a personal connection to it, but everyone knows someone or has a member of the family who’s in some way affected by dementia,” she told Her Canberra.
“Most mornings I go up and over the Hilltop Reserve, which is near our Goodwin Village in Crace, and I was doing that when the idea came to me that we, the residents of Crace, could do some walking to raise funds for the cause. A lot of the villagers here like walking, and I had just been reading some statistics about the increasing number of dementia cases and how it will soon be the number one cause of death in Australia.
Dementia Australia has a target to raise over a million dollars to assist people already living with dementia.