This fall, several Blue Cross associates joined the Alzheimer’s Association and the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) in their respective annual fundraising walks in Minneapolis.

Alzheimer’s Association Walk to End Alzheimer’s

With nearly 100,000 Minnesotans aged 65 and older living with Alzheimer's,  the dementia disease is  a growing public health crisis. The Walk to End

Alzheimer’s aims to bring awareness to the need for a stronger public health approach and raise funds in efforts to find a cure. The 2023 Twin Cities Walk to End Alzheimer’s was held September 30 at Target Field and raised more than $1 million.

Katie Harkonen, Blue Cross member experience lead, has been participating in the Walk to End Alzheimer’s for several years, and served as a team captain for 2023.

“I am passionate about the walk as currently my grandma-in-law is slowly slipping away each day from us due to this horrible disease,” she says. “As part of her caregiver circle, I see firsthand how this affects her and her close family.”

Harkonen holds annual garage sales to fundraise for the organization, on top of attending and assisting in the organization of the annual walk.

“Currently one in every three seniors die from Alzheimer’s or dementia. I have faith that forging a path forward by walking and raising funds, we will find a cure,” Harkonen says.

The Alzheimer’s Association is always accepting donations and looking for participants in their other annual events. Find ways to get involved on the Alzheimer’s Association website.

National Alliance on Mental Illness Walk

According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), one in every five adults experience mental illness each year in the United States. To help raise funds and awareness, NAMI hosts annual walks throughout the county, raising over $13 million nationwide. The Twin Cities NAMI Walk took place September 23 at Minnehaha Falls Regional Park.

Brandi Ogdahl, Blue Cross member service agent, says she walks to let people know they are not alone in their mental health struggles.

“NAMI is really important to me as I grew up with mental health issues,” she said. “In my younger teen years, I had terrible anxiety and went through depressive episodes. In 2019, I found an emergency mental health clinic in Saint Paul and forced myself to walk into the building. I talked to a physician who told me he was proud of me for coming and speaking with him.”

Ogdahl was then diagnosed with major depression, anxiety, and posttraumatic stress disorder, all of which she had been living with for years.

“Once I found out my official diagnosis, I spoke out to my family and shared with them what I was going through,” Ogdahl explained. “Talking about your mental health issues is hard, but if you can share with at least one person what you are feeling, it might make the world of difference for both of you.”

The NAMI Walk aims to not only bring people together over a shared passion, but also to advocate, educate, and bring awareness to mental illness and those affected so they can build better lives.

This year, Blue Cross attendees donated over $13,000 to the cause.

NAMI is always accepting donations and has many ways to get involved in the community. Find more information about NAMI here.

*Editor’s Note: If you need suicide or mental health crisis support, or are worried about someone else, please call or text 988 or visit the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline chat to connect with a trained crisis specialist.