Lake Bluff resident Lynn Johnson is leading the charge for the Lake County Walk to End Alzheimer's, set for Saturday, Sept. 26, at Independence Grove in Libertyville. The walk is one of more than 600 held nationwide each year by the Alzheimer's Association, raising funds for research, care and support for families living with the disease.

Johnson's father and mother-in-law both lived with Alzheimer's. "Alzheimer's has touched my family in a deeply personal way," Johnson said in The Lake Bluff Chat on Sept. 17.

The walk's schedule, posted by the Alzheimer's Association Illinois Chapter on Facebook, lists registration at 8 a.m., an opening ceremony at 9:30 a.m. and the walk at 10 a.m. Independence Grove is at 16400 W. Route 137.

The numbers behind the cause are steep. An estimated 250,600 Illinois residents age 65 and older are living with Alzheimer's dementia in 2026, according to Alzheimer's Association statistics cited in the Chat article. More than 465,000 Illinois caregivers provide an estimated 668 million hours of unpaid care each year. The association values that work at $16.7 billion.

Jennifer Keeney, development manager for the Alzheimer's Association Illinois Chapter, said the walk shows families facing the disease that they are not alone and that every dollar raised funds research moving closer to a cure.

Johnson urged Lake Bluff and Lake Forest residents to sign up. Registration is available at act.alz.org.