Families, caregivers, advocates and community members from across Nassau County will come together Sunday, Oct. 4, at Eisenhower Park in East Meadow for the 2026 Walk to End Alzheimer’s.
Organized by the Alzheimer’s Association Long Island Chapter, the annual event raises funds for Alzheimer’s research, care and support programs while bringing together people with different personal connections to the disease.
Tinamarie Hardekopf, senior director of development for the Alzheimer’s Association Long Island Chapter, said the event comes at an important time for Alzheimer’s research and awareness.
“This is a pivotal moment in the fight against Alzheimer’s,” Hardekopf said. “With new treatments and proven lifestyle habits that support brain health, there is real hope. Together, we can build a brain‑healthy future and help end this disease. We invite everyone to join us by forming a team to raise awareness and funds for families facing Alzheimer’s today.”
More than 7 million Americans are living with Alzheimer’s disease, while nearly 12 million family members and friends provide care for people living with Alzheimer’s and other dementias, according to the Alzheimer’s Association. More than 426,000 New Yorkers are living with Alzheimer’s, including an estimated 61,800 Long Island residents age 65 and older.
For Armando D’Accordo, an Alzheimer’s Association Long Island Chapter board member and executive event co-chair of the Nassau Walk to End Alzheimer’s, the walk has a deeply personal meaning. D’Accordo is a current caregiver and participates in honor of his late mother, who was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s.
“For me, the walk to End Alzheimer’s is a group hug that represents love, remembrance, and hope for a cure,” D’Accordo, who resides in East Wantagh, said. “I walk for the people who have been affected and for the families who stand beside them. I walk for those that deserved to be remembered for who they were, not how they were affected.”
D’Accordo said his experience as a caregiver has also given him a greater appreciation for the resources provided by the Alzheimer’s Association, particularly the connections it creates among caregivers and families seeking guidance.
He hopes participants leave the event with more than memories of the walk itself. Education, he said, is an important part of helping families understand what resources are available and how they can prepare for the challenges associated with Alzheimer’s.
A central part of walk day is the Promise Garden ceremony, during which participants hold flowers of different colors representing their personal connections to Alzheimer’s. Some flowers honor those living with the disease, while others represent caregivers, those who have lost loved ones or people supporting the cause without a personal connection.
Alyssa Ramirez, executive event vice chair of the Nassau Walk to End Alzheimer’s, said the ceremony illustrates how the disease affects people in different ways.
“When you're at the events and everyone kind of holds up their flower one by one, then you can see how everyone is affected by this in some way or another,” Ramirez said.
Ramirez said organizing the walk involves months of community outreach and fundraising, including partnerships with local organizations, schools and rehabilitation centers.
She also emphasized that participation is not limited to those who have personally experienced Alzheimer’s.
“It does affect everyone in some way, some form,” Ramirez said. “It's just awareness as well. Knowing who to call, knowing there's a hotline.”
For D’Accordo, the gathering ultimately represents one thing: hope.
“Hope for a future without Alzheimer's,” he said.
For more information, to register or to find updates about the Oct. 4 Walk to End Alzheimer’s, visit Act.ALZ.org/Nassau.
