Darla Sauter of Fairlight knows the tragic toll that Alzheimer's disease takes on Alzheimer's patients and their loved ones.
As Activities Director at Wawota's Deer View Lodge, and as a former special care aide there, Sauter has a special interest in sufferers and their families and is actively working to renew and reinvigorate the community's annual fundraising efforts for the Alzheimer Society.
"At the Lodge, we deal with residents and families on a continual basis. There are lots of residents here who have the disease," says Sauter. "It's hardest on the families. When the family member comes to see mom or their wife or whomever, their loved one often doesn't even recognize them. It's the saddest thing."
"In the past, we've fundraised by holding the Alzheimer's Coffee Break. This year, we decided to really break with tradition to renew the campaign by adopting their latest fundraising model, which is 'Anything for Alzheimer's'," she says. "Dana Fowler, who is the volunteer coordinator at Deer View Lodge, and I put our heads together and came up with the idea of a lunchtime hot dog sale, instead. We're hoping to rebuild and restore interest in our local fundraising efforts for Alzheimer's disease."
Sauter, Fowler and Holly Hodgson, who is volunteer coordinator for Sun Country Health Region, held the lunchtime event at Wawota's Deer View Lodge on Sept. 10. Hodgson says, "We had some really great staff participation as well as some great support from community members."
"On a daily basis we deal with people who have Alzheimer's disease and their families," says Sauter. "As a caregiver, you begin to think of them as extended family as well."
"This year, we had much more involvement than we did with the coffee break format," she adds.
"It's a good idea to keep it fresh," adds Fowler.
"We can shed more light in regards to what has to be done. We need to still keep funding these things," says Sauter. "There are so many good causes out there. We're hoping by amping it up and bringing new interest every year, that we can do our part."
"We've all been affected by Alzheimer's disease, or we know someone who has," says Hodgson. "It's a cause that's very dear to all our hearts."
As for next year's event, Sauter says to stay tuned. "We want to make it different every year. We want to keep everybody guessing what we'll do next!"
