Residents, family members and staff at The Terrace at Mountain Creek in Chattanooga, TN called themselves the Memory Warriors and even created a cheer to show spirit as they raised $3,000 to support research on Alzheimer’s disease.

Participating in Memory Walk 2006 for the Northeast/Southeast Tennessee Chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association, the team at The Terrace held several fundraiser activities before the event and then rallied 22 people for the walk itself.

Stephanie Cronan, staffing coordinator at The Terrace, organized bake sales, car washes, and yard sales, and the staff sold bracelets and flowers to raise funds. The nursing staff baked and donated cookies, brownies and other items to the sales and all activities were supported by residents, families and even staff members.

“We sent flyers out to the families and the residents to encourage them to participate,” according to Robin Moore, director of nursing. “We also picked up the phone and called everybody to get them to come down and participate. Every one of our residents participated in the cake walks and other fundraisers.”

On the day of the Memory Walk, staff members brought their families and residents who felt like braving the chilly weather attended, too. The Memory Warriors team even made special T-shirts for this year’s event.

Local efforts at The Terrace raised about $1,500 and Good Neighbor Care also contributed $1,500 to the cause.