In the early 90s, Peg Brace hit a point where four members of her family were living with various forms of dementia at the same time – her husband’s mother and aunt and her uncle and father. It was her father Gordon’s reaction to his 1993 diagnosis that led her to volunteer for what is now the Traverse City Walk to End Alzheimer’s.
“It feels like there’s nothing you can do when the disease affects your family member, that it has its own path and there's nothing you can do about it,” Brace said. “But by volunteering with the Association, you feel a little bit of hope because it feels like you're helping in some way.”
Brace said her dad, who worked in the medical field, became active in trying to find a cure. She recalls that he was always open about his diagnosis, even walking up to people he knew and explaining that he couldn’t remember their names because he was living with Alzheimer’s disease. It was this openness and attitude toward his diagnosis that Brace says not only helped her family navigate the caregiving journey, but also that led to her 30-year commitment to volunteering.
When she first encountered the Alzheimer’s Association, she took part in a support group to cope and also lent her time to the Walk, which was called the “Memory Walk” in the 1990s. After talking with others in her support group and at the walk event, Brace was inspired to take her involvement one step further.
“Meeting other people who were in the same situation as me made such a difference,” Brace said. “The experience inspired me to go up a level with volunteering and become the go-to logistics person, rather than registering people at the walk for only one day each year.”
Over the years, Brace became more involved on the planning side of the Traverse City walk, serving on the event committee to work out the logistics of who would handle which job to make the event a success. As part of the committee, she attended monthly meetings well in advance of the walk to discuss areas where volunteer help was most needed, and even recruited volunteers for different areas, such as handing out swag, registration, staffing the kids table and more.
“We’re always looking for a variety of people who fit in different roles that can help out,” Brace said. “Everybody has different talents, so it's a way for volunteers to share their talents with others. If you’re really committed to the cause – maybe you have a family member affected by the disease – this is a way to get more active and to use your talents toward something greater.”
Brace is an example of this herself, as she was able to offer the Traverse City Walk committee her accounting expertise, which made her a perfect fit for helping with registration.
"Peg has made such an impact on the Walk to End Alzheimer's in Traverse City,” said Kyle Leonard, Senior Director of Development for the Association’s Michigan chapter. “She creates an amazing day-of event experience for our volunteers which, in turn, brings a memorable day to the Traverse City community. We are grateful for the 30 years of commitment and passion Peg has brought to the Association as a volunteer, community leader and connector to those who are traveling through their own journey with Alzheimer's or dementia. None of this would be possible without volunteers like Peg."
While day-of help is extremely important and appreciated, Brace stressed there is a larger opportunity to help with planning the walk well in advance, like she does. She notes that it is only as big of a time commitment as people want it to be, and for her personally, it is very manageable.
The Michigan Chapter has a great need for volunteers in the Traverse City and Petoskey areas, not only for Walk, but also to help education programs, support groups and more. To get started volunteering with the walk, visit here. Find out more about volunteer opportunities here. If you have questions about volunteering in northern Michigan, feel free to reach out to Regional Director Kristen Erby Weber at
kmweber@alz.org or 231.714.6736.