Participants prepare to start the Walk to End Alzheimer's last year in Cranberry Township. Alzheimer's affects more than 5 million Americans and is the sixth-leading cause of death in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The Butler Walk to End Alzheimer's is held annually to generate awareness, raise funds and support the Alzheimer's Association.

The Butler Walk to End Alzheimer's has been an annual event for eight years, organized by volunteers and committees through the Alzheimer's Association.

Although the walk usually is a crowd event held in person, COVID-19 has changed things.

“This year, the walk is everywhere,” said Nathaniel Sofranko, a Walk to End Alzheimer's manager, “on every sidewalk, track and trail across the county.”

This year's walk is scheduled for Sept. 19.

Sofranko said with the safety of participants being the Alzheimer's Association's top priority, those who join the walk will be able to attend the event from anywhere.

“We hope to have 350 participants on 50 teams,” Sofranko said. “We currently have 41 teams and 111 participants.”

Butler's walk planning committee includes 17 county residents, according to Sofranko. Those who are part of the registered teams have been fundraising throughout the year.

This is an excerpt from a larger article that appears in Wednesday's Butler Eagle. Subscribe online or in print to read more about the changes to the events.