VSU and the surrounding community will get “Casual for a Cause” on Friday.

With a donation of $5, those who  wish to take a stand against Alzheimer’s disease can purchase an Anti-Alzheimer sticker and forget me- not on the second floor of the student union from 9 a.m.-2 p.m.

Anyone can participate by wearing jeans or other casual attire the day of the event. Participants will receive a sticker and have a forget-me-not in their honor placed in Pine Hall until Nov. 30

“It’s a fundraising and educational event to raise awareness,” Felicia Hilson, director of admissions and recruiting for the Division of Social Work, said.  “Alzheimer’s is the 6^th leading cause of death in America, so we want to find funding to do additional research to eradicate this disease. A lot of individuals associate Alzheimer’s with elderly people but it’s not. More than 200,000 who are younger than 65 have the disease.”

The proceeds of the event will go to the Alzheimer’s Association during the annual Walk to End Alzheimer’s at Valdosta Middle School on Friday, Sept., 15.

 “It’s [Casual for a Cause] something that we hope will be an annual event and the first time the university as a whole will be participating in the Walk to End Alzheimer’s, ”Hilson said.

My Friend’s House is another local organization that participates in Alzheimer’s awareness by holding activities that promote social, physical, creative and cognitive stimulation for those with Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia– free of charge. This facility is located at 109 W. Moore St. and open from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. on weekdays.

“They’ve participated in the walk before, but on a very small scale,” Hilson said.

Hilson hopes that Casual for a Cause will shine a light on a disease that could end up affecting students.

 “[Casual for a Cause will be able] to get the community involved to help students understand they may very well be caregivers to their parents if they can’t find medications to slow the progression,” Hilson said

Hilson, being a fan of the University of Tennessee’s women’s basketball team, used Pat Summitt, women’s basketball coach, as an example.

“She [Pat Summitt] just turned 60,” Hilson said. “Her 22-year-old son is facing being a caregiver for his mother.”

In honor of Summitt, Hilson’s team for the Walk to End Alzheimer’s is named “Reaching for the Summit”. There are six VSU teams and 20 community-wide teams participating in the walk.

Hilson hopes to raise $1,098 in honor of the number of wins Summit accrued during her time as coach. Summit has won more games out of both men’s and women’s college teams.

For more information about Casual for a Cause contact Hilson at (229) 219-1392 or fahilson@valdosta.edu, or to get more information on My Friend’s House contact Dr. Dorothy Dye at (229) 293-6145 or ddye@valdosta.edu or Phyllis Alvarez, program assistant, at (229) 293-6146 or ptbrooks@valdosta.edu.