The Dementia Warriors will once again don their trademark orange T-shirts and take to the walking path at Oregon State University later this month, continuing their mission to normalize conversations about Alzheimer’s disease and dementia while raising funds for research and support.
The Mid-Willamette Valley Walk to End Alzheimer’s takes place Sunday, Sept. 14 at the Memorial Union Quad on OSU’s campus (2501 SW Jefferson Way, Corvallis). Registration begins at 11 a.m. and an opening ceremony will follow at noon.
Holly Bendixen, team captain for the Dementia Warriors, expects between 30 and 40 individuals to participate with the Philomath-based team in this year’s walk. The organization, which boasts around 80 members based on their email distribution list, has been a driving force at the event since first participating in 2021.
“Yeah, it’s normalizing it,” Bendixen said about the walk’s impact on public discourse around Alzheimer’s and dementia. The event creates a safe space for people to openly discuss their experiences with the disease, something that hasn’t always been easy for many families.
For example, Bendixen’s husband, Jon, received his diagnosis in 2013, but initially kept it private. That changed when he met Jerry Wylie, who founded the Dementia Warriors in June 2017.
“He’d never just openly tell anybody — until he met Jerry Wylie,” Bendixen said. “Then he became comfortable with it and if you’re going to an event like this with hundreds of people, it does make it more comfortable to talk about it.”
Wylie was one of nine Dementia Warriors members who passed away in 2024.
The Dementia Warriors has established itself as one of the walk’s most significant contributors, consistently providing the largest number of participants and ranking among the top fundraisers. Those who would like to donate to the team as part of the fundraiser, visit the Dementia Warriors’ team page.
As a show of support for individuals that have been affected by the disease, the club’s participants will carry laminated paddles with names displayed.
One of the walk’s most moving moments comes during the Promise Garden Flower ceremony, where participants receive colored flowers representing their connection to Alzheimer’s or one of the many forms of dementia — blue for those living with the disease, purple for those who have lost someone, yellow for caregivers and supporters, and orange for advocates.
“They have a ceremony with a deejay and music playing and this is where every time I just burst into tears — I can’t help it,” Bendixen said, recalling how her husband participated by holding his blue flower two years ago.
The ceremony also acknowledges hope for the future with a symbolic white flower representing the first person to be cured of Alzheimer’s disease — a flower that remains ungiven as researchers continue their work toward that goal.
“It’s a very emotional event and it’s supposed to be fun,” Bendixen said.
Participants can choose how far they want to walk at the event but the full length of the route comes out to 1-1/2 miles.
For Bendixen and the Dementia Warriors, the walk represents more than community support — it’s the contribution to a national movement. According to the national Alzheimer’s Association, 77% of funds raised go directly toward things like drug research, lobbying efforts in Washington, education programs and caregiver assistance.
“This is one chance that we have to help the national effort,” Bendixen said. “That national effort is really important because it gets the visibility that is needed for the disease.
The Dementia Warriors maintain an active presence in the community year-round, meeting twice monthly on the first and third Wednesdays from 2:30-4 p.m. at Peace Lutheran Church (2540 Applegate St.). The group also hosts Dementia Warriors Coffee Connections at 10 a.m. Mondays at Timber Towne Coffee (1427 Main St.).
For more information on the group, go online to the Dementia Warriors website.
