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Held in more than 600 communities nationwide, Walk to End Alzheimer’s is the world’s largest event to raise awareness and funds for Alzheimer’s care, support and research. Coffee Cup Quilting owner ,Claranna Roberts made and donated a purple fade quilt to the Frances’ Fighters walk team led by Melisa Mote,  for the November 4 quilt giveaway  at the River Region’s Walk to End Alzheimer’s in Montgomery.

“In America today, one in three seniors die with Alzheimer’s or another dementia,” Mote said. “It kills more people than breast cancer and prostate cancer combined. There are more than six million Americans living with Alzheimer’s today.” 

In 2017, Mote’smother, Frances Miller, died after living with Alzheimer’s.   After their mother’s death, Mote and her sisters wanted to help other families caring for family members with the debilitating disease. 

“My sisters and I were her caregivers, joining the more than 11 million Americans who provide care for people with dementia,” Mote said. “After she died we wanted to find a way to honor her memory and help find a cure for this terrible disease. We wanted to keep other families from going through what we went through.”

Mote joined The Alzheimer’s Association and began the team Frances’ Fighters in honor of her mother. Since then, the team has  raised money annually through fundraisers and donations to aid in research and education. 

“This year we have an ongoing Purses for Purple Facebook Fundraiser in which we take gently used, donated purses and sell them for $10,” said Mote. “It has been very successful!”

Claranna Thomas said she was happy to be able to donate to the cause. Debbie Blackmon, a local friend and supporter of Coffee Cup Quilting, told her the color for Alzheimers is purple, and immediately Thomas saw the image of the quilt she wanted to make. The fading design of the purple shapes on the quilt represent the fading away of the mind and personality of those afflicted with Alzheimers. 

“This is my way of saying ‘God, thank you’ for never having to deal with the long goodbye of emotionally watching someone you have loved and cared for your entire life, completely disappear before your eyes,” Thomas said. “How do you deal with that?”

Tickets for the Walk to End Alzheimer’s event in Montgomery can be purchased at Coffee Cup Quilting downtown at 213 S Conecuh Street. Each ticket is $5, or get 3 for $10, and comes with a purple ribbon to show support for those affected by this disease. You can also email Melisa at melisamote@gmail.com for tickets. 

“The walk is about 2 miles,” said Mote. “We have a promise garden in which we place flowers in honor and in memory of our loved ones. We decided to draw the winner of the quilt on the day of our walk. We will do it live on Facebook on our Frances’ Fighters Facebook page. We would love to have people join our team or start a team of their own for our walk.”

To donate or join the Frances’ Fighters, visit http://act.alz.org/ to donate or join the Frances’ Fighters. Coffee Cup Quilting is located at 213 S. Conecuh Street, and is open Tuesday – Saturday 10 a.m. – 6 p.m.. The phone number is 334-665-4098.