WINE TASTING

Tickets are now available for an enjoyable evening, November 17 at our Wine Tasting at Maize Valley Farms near Hartville on Rt 619. 6-8:30pm. The event ticket ($25.00 per person) includes four (4) wine tastings of your choice from the wine bar and you keep the glass, and appetizers in the Pavilion with Feet of Memory. Live music at the wine bar. Additional wine tickets may be purchased.

 A CORN HOLE TOURNAMENT...Come on, all you bean bag tossers...let's see who is the best! Winnr splits fees earned from the tourney 50/50 with Feet of Memory.
Additional opportunities for a low cost) include silent auction items including a wine basket from Maize Valley, a 50/50 drawing, and "Pat's Corner" merchandise (Pat was Geoffrey's mother who had Alzheimer's disease for 24 years) such as Feet of Memory tee's ($20) and specially designed aquamarine jewelry by Lynn Marie Jewelry. Contact us at

Feetmemory@yahoo.com.

Feet of Memory Inc. supports Alzheimer's research, education and support services through long-distance endurance walks and theatre. On March 17 ,2012, Geoffrey Darling, co-founder, will start a 2,400 mile trek to raise awareness and funds His walk takes him up historic US Rt. 1 from Key West to Ft. Kent Maine. Future walks to include the Pacific West Coast, the Gulf Coast, Ireland, England from Land's End to John O'Groats, and others.

Grandma doesn't remember me anymore

"Why doesn't Grandma remember my name anymore?"
Not many questions are sadder than this. How sad for a child to stand by a dear grandparent and that one who used to play ball, tell stories and play hide and seek cannot remember the child's name.

How sad for the wife of 57 years to sit across from a breakfast table only to hear her beloved husband call her by a different name.

Such as scenes every day as Alzheimer's disease steals away memories, names, places, people....life. Memory loss starts small and grows until it eats away most of one's life's memories. even the body itself is affected by its own kind of memory loss...how to tie shoes, the urge to eat, or use the bathroom, or what time of day it is. Some people cannot tell the temperature and go outside dressed for summertime when the snow is blowing.

We at Feet of Memory Inc. set a goal to raise as much awareness and money to join in the challenge to bring an end - soon - to Alzheimer's disease. Your gifts and continued support of events and fundraising drives makes an impact. You help provide support services like support groups and educational seminars to family members and caregivers. You help provide funds for further research. You...yes, YOU, help us find an end to Alzheimer's disease when you support Feet of Memory Inc. we are a nonprofit organization in Ohio, but our Feet take us many places to raise money and awareness.

If your life and family has been touched by Alzheimer's disease, please write to us at feetmemory@yahoo.com we would love to hear your story. We also thank you for your donations and gift cards to national chain restaurants, hotels, gasoline stations, and general use such as Visa or Master Card prepaid gift cards. These help us do our work.

As you know, the months are swiftly flying by and we will soon be on our trek from Key West to Ft. Kent Maine. This journey of 2400 miles starts with a single step, and those many steps are made possible by the freewill donations of people like you.

Thank you.

What's Up!

Mark your calendar for these dates, please:

Feet of Memory Inc. invites you to its Launch Reception

Wednesday, October 24 from 5-7 pm

Jackson Library, Massillon, Canton, Ohio

9:00am Geoffrey sets out on the walking path for a 24 mile walk, representing the average number of miles he will walk each day on his 2,400 mile trek from Key West to Ft. Kent, Maine March 17-July 4, 2013. Come walk with him for all or part of the day. Gather up some support for your walk then donate to Feet of Memory so we can continue our support of the Alzheimer's Association and their work in research, education and support services.

5:00 Begin to gather at the Library

5:30 Welcome from Board of directors and CEOs. Performance sampler by Geoffrey Darling

5:55-6:15: presentations by Rose Daring, Loren Veigel, artistic director of VOCI, and Alzheimer's Association.

6:15: Official launch

6:30 Balloons of Memory launch

6:45 Future events and raffle drawings

November 17 - 6-8:30 pm: Wine Tasting at Maize Valley Farms' Pavilion on Rt 619 Hartville.

$25.00pp includes 4 wine tastings of your choice and appetizers.

Additional opportunities include a Corn Hole Tournament, raffle baskets including a wine basket from Maize Farms, and 50/50 drawing. Live music in the lounge.

We'll see you there!

Contact feetmemory@yahoo.com for additional information.



Behind-the-scenes

It's a behind-the-desk and on-the-phone kind of day today as we work on press releases, networking and other 'operational'  things necessary to move our efforts forward. We are getting a new workstation/desk today and that means messy office time while we re-organize.



I strongly suggested that our Walker get out on the trail for awhile, so he left for the Towpath and all is well.



Our official Feet of Memory launch date is Wednesday, October 24 from 5-7 p.m. at the Jackson Library in Canton, Ohio. YOU are invited....and bring a friend!!! Details coming soon.

Feet of Memory supports research, education and services of organizations such as the Alzheimer's Association that help bring an end to Alzheimer's disease (AD).
Geoffrey Darling will walk 2,400 miles from Key West to Ft. Kent Maine starting 17 March 2013 to raise funds and awareness for the Alzheimer's Association.  This walk honors his mother Pat who had AD for 24 years before passing on in March 2012.

Tappan Lake

It's off to Tappan Lake, Ohio, today to relax and enjoy the company of theatre friends...and perhaps get in a good walk, too.

Enjoy your weekend!

Feet of Memory is dedicated to raising funds and awareness to help end Alzheimer's disease.

Extreme walks are the ultimate means by which we meet our goal. Geoffrey Darling will walk 2,400 miles on U.S. Rt 1, the historic highway from Key West, Florida to Ft. Kent, Maine beginning 17 March 2013 and ending Independence Day. Help us make this walk successful and help bring and end to Alzheimer's Disease by supporting the research, education and support services of the Alzheimer's Association. www.alz.org

Watch this blog for events and opportunities to honor your loved ones through the

Board of Remembrance.







Super Saturday

YOU can help get Feet of Memory up and run...errr...walking as we work toward the mega-walk, an extreme walk, and endurance walk from Key West to Maine. Geoffrey is out doing about 16 training miles this morning. He is so dedicated to his goal of walking those 2,400 miles from March 17, 2013 to Independence Day.

We seek five (5) to ten (10) volunteers to host a SALE...garage, yard, moving, bake, or other, in October for a Super Saturday Sale Day. We would prefer all the sales to be on one Saturday in October, but if that is not possible, any Saturday in October will be great!

Watch for details here tomorrow.

PLEASE link your friends and family to our blog so they may get involved, too!

The Mission of Feet of Memory (non-profit): Enabling endurance walks and presentations in support of research, support and education to end Alzheimer's disease.

Rainy Days and Fridays

The rains they be a-comin' soon, but that's OK. It's nice and warm and a rain poncho will be quite enough to cover up our Walker. He's out for a 3-hour + trek on the Towpath today as the training continues.

If you have any great fund and awareness-raising ideas and would share them , we would love to hear them. We have a good many ideas and preliminary plans waiting for Board approval tomorrow, but we know many heads are better than one or two when it comes to ideas. If your organization has made lots of money via fundraisers, share how, please.....

I promised a wish list....here are some of the biggest needs that will enable us to help meet the needs for research, education and support services of the Alzheimer's Association.www.alz.org

WISH LIST for Feet of Memory

Here are FOUR ITEMS we need to help the extreme walk from Key West florida to Ft Kent Maine in 2013 be a success. The more that is donated to Feet of Memory, the more funds we send to the Alzheimer's Association to help fund research, education, and support services.

A good Class B RV or camper van....borrow, gift or purchase
Gasoline gift cards
Vouchers, redeemable points or gift cards for hotels such as Choice Hotels
Major chain restaurant gift cards

Our status with the IRS will soon allow us to send you a tax-deductible receipt! So wait to send your donation or gift if you want that tax-deduction. Our website is under construction, and the address and donation information will soon be posted. This is a work-in-progress and we appreciate your patience.

Itinerary looks dauntingly fun

St Paddy's Day minus 223 and all's well - with 450 training miles under the belt and 1950 to go - until I realise that, when translated to the actual walk from Key West to Fort Kent, Maine, that does not even get us out of Florida. Or even to the second scheduled rest day. At mile-peg 450 we will be a day's march from St Augustine Beach and still three days from reaching Georgia - so even though a gentle nine mile walk beckons today we know the time has come to put in some testing 25-miles plus walks. Question is, when can we spare the time for the all-day effort and the all-week recovery.  As summer threatens to close down temperatures in sunny Ohio and bring this Golden Weather to an End, I want to get the daily average required to below 8 miles per day by the beginning of December - because I want to have walked 2400 miles in training since May 23 ( when records began, as they say in the weather forecasts) - the  required average is still 8.71 daily miles and the completed average - well let's math the do. 450/ 82 is 5.48 per day! - that's a revelation. I thought things were better than that.  Too many days off, too much self-indulgence and not enough reality. Nevertheless the physical results are still good and the pulse rate is 46.
So take a quick look at the schedule and see if you agree that, even at eight months out, we need to get urgent -

Florida                                               miles

March 17:  Key West to Big Pine Key     30 

March 18: Big Pine Key to Marathon     18

March 19:  Marathon to Layton              20

March 20: Layton to Key Largo               31

March 21: Key Largo to Homestead       30

March 22: Homestead to Cutter Bay     12

March 23: Cutter Bay to Miami Beach   23

March 24: Miami Bch to Ft Lauderdale 24

March 25: Ft Lauderdale to Delray Bch  29

March 26: Delray to West Palm Beach  19

March 27: Day off walking

March 28: W.Palm Bch to Hobe Sound  27

Good Friday: Hobe to White City           24

March 30: White City to Vero Beach      27

Easter Sunday: Vero to Grant                 22

April 1: Grant to Palm Shores                                21

April 2: Palm Shores to Titusville           30

April 3: Titusville to Bethune Beach       24

April 4: Bethune to Daytona                   23

April 5: Daytona to Flagler                     20

April 6: Flagler to St Augustine Beach   28

April 7: Day off walking

April 8: St Augustine Bch to Bayard       25

April 9: Bayard to Jacksonville                17

April 10: Jacksonville to Callahan           20

Georgia

April 11: Callahan to Folkston                                22

April 12: Folkston to Waycross Forest   27

April 13: Waycross F. to Alma                                32

April 14: Alma to Baxley                         20

April 15: Baxley to Toombs Central        19

April 16: Toombs to Oak Park                 24

April 17: Day off walking

April 18: Day off walking

April 19: Oak Park to Swansboro            18

April 20: Swansboro to Louisville           30

April 21: Louisville to Blythe                   29

April 22: Blythe to North Augusta          21

April 23: North August to Ridge Spring  32

South Carolina

April 24: Ridge Spring to Lexington        28

April 25: Lexington to Dentsville            18

April 26: Dentsville to Camden               25

April 27: Camden to McBee                   27

April 28: McBee to Cheraw                    28

April 29: Cheraw to  Rockingham           20

North Carolina

April 30:  Rockingham to Aberdeen       26

May 1: Day off walking

May 2: Aberdeen to Sanford                  30

May 3: Sanford to Jordan Lake               21

May 4: Jordan Lake to Raleigh               25

May 5: Raleigh to Wake Forest              17

May 6: Wake Forest to Henderson        27

May 7: Henderson to Palmer Springs    24

May 8: Palmer Sp. to  Meredithville      26

Virginia

May 9: Meredithville to McKenny          18

May 10: McKenny to Petersburg            26

May 11: Petersburg to Richmond           22

May 12: Day of walking

May 13: Richmond to Ashland               16

May 14: Ashland to Co.606                     27

May 15: Co.606 to Aquila Park               24

May 16: Aquila Park to Springfield         27

May 17: Day off walking

May 18: Springfield to College Park       24

Maryland

May 19: College Park to Baltimore        26

May 20: Baltimore to Bel Air                 23

May 21: Bel Air to Rising Sun                 22

May 22: Rising Sun to Kennett Square   24

Pennsylvania

May 23: Kennett Sq. to Drexel Hill         24

May 24: Drexel  to Philadelphia East     24

May 25: Phil. East to  Princeton             25

New Jersey

May 26: Princeton to Woodbridge         26

May 27: Woodbridge to Newark            15

May 28: Newark to Pelham Manor        27

New York

May 29: Pelham Manor to Rye               9

May 30: Day off walking

May 31: Rye to Norwalk                         19

Connecticut

June 1: Norwalk to Milford                     21

June 2: Milford to Guilford                     24

June 3: Guilford to Old Lyme                  25

June 4: Old Lyme to Mystic                    23

June 5: Mystic to Kingston                      30

Rhode Island

June 6: Kingston to Cranston                  24

June 7: Cranston to South Walpole        24

Massachussets

June 8: South Walpole  to Quincy          22

June 9: Quincy to Revere                        15

June 10: Day off walking

June 11:  Revere to Newburyport           30

June 12: Newburport to Portsmouth      20

New Hampshire

June 13: Portsmouth to Kenneburk        26

Maine

June 14: Kenneburk to Portland              26

June 15: Portland to Brunswick              26

June 16: Brunswick to Damoriscotta      26

June 17: Damoriscotta to Rockland        27

June 18: Day off walking

June 19: Rockland to Belfast                  20

June 20: Belfast to East Orland              22

June 21: East Orland to Hancock            24

June 22: Hancock to Addison                  31

June 23: Addison to East Macha            22

June 24: East Macha to Pembroke         27

June 25: Pembroke to Calais                  26

June 26: Calais to Princeton                   20

June 27: Princeton to Houlton Road       26

June 28: Houlton Rd to Amity                                30

June 29: Amity to Monticello                 27

June 30: Monticello to Presque Isle       28

July 1: Presque Isle to Caribou                13

July 2: Caribou to Van Buren                  22

July 3: Van Buren to Madawaska           24

July 4: Madawaska to Fort Kent             20         

    

Board on a Mission

Nobody likes meetings...unless they are the exciting planning meetings to get Feet of Memory up and walking from Key West Florida to Ft. Kent Maine! Saturday, the Board meets to plan and organize all those details that make a project successful.

On the community fundraising side of the drawing board are several ideas including theatrical performances, a Winter Wonderland Walkathon and Festival, super-Saturday garage and bake sales, and lots more. We even have special hand-crafted jewelry and products you can wear with pride and to show support.

Statistically, Alzheimer's Disease is the fifth leading cause of death in the United States. However, few diseases span as many years with such devastating tolls to the individual, their family, and friends. Geoffrey's mother Pat had A.D. for 24 years with progressively deteriorating memory and physical losses. In her honor, and to help end, yes, END, this dreadful disease, Geoffrey will do his extreme walk of the 2,400 miles of U.S. Route 1, the historic highway. Along the way, he will ask the community to come out and walk with him, to sponsor special events which may include one of his solo theatrical performances. Geoffrey is a trained and highly skillful international stage actor with a long list of theatrical credits. You will soon be able to view a snippet performance on the website that is currently under construction.

The Alzheimer's Association offers education, research and support services for those touched by A.D. and Feet of Memory's mission is to raise money and awareness toward this work.

We need volunteers and resources to make it happen. We need you and soon we will post a new website with details on the Feet of Memory organization and its work and how you can help us make a major difference in research, education and support to end Alzheimer's Disease.

12 and counting

Another training walk of 12 miles is now history as Geoffrey racks up more and more miles toward 2,400 training miles prior to his actual extreme walk. He has 1976 training miles to go in 226 days - an average of 8.74 per day. With an occasional day of rest, he is out pounding the pavement or dirt track. To remind you, he is walking 2,400 miles on US 1, the historic highway,to raise funds for research, education and support services offered by the Alzheimer's Association. www.alz.org.

Maintaining fitness over the coming colder weather (yes, it will come in a few months) will be a bit challenging, but that's what Planet Fitness is for!

Geoffrey aims to be as lightweight as possible for the extreme walk from Key West to Ft Kent Maine. He'll have to carry some essential items like fluids, rain wear, first aid items and food which, of course, will add to the weight.

Some fundraising and awareness-raisers are on the drawing table and we will let you know when we have some definite plans!

And moving right along....

As we begin to set up our board for our non-for-profit organization that will raise funds to support Alzheimer's Disease research, education and services, we have two board members signed up --and received our first donation toward the walk!

There is much to be done...fundraising, continuation of physical training toward the extreme walk from Key West Florida to Ft. Kent Maine, media coverage, and volunteers to make it happen.

Here are some of the ways you can help:
Donations of gift cards to national chain restaurants, gasoline gift cards, hotel rooms along the route, and the biggest - loan of a small RV or camper van as our support vehicle AND point-to-point volunteer drivers. I'll repeat these as we gain more readership. If YOU can help, please respond. All cash donations will be tax-deductible when the non-profit status is finalized.

A website will soon be prepared to more fully outline the project and how you can help make possible this 2,400 mile extreme walk to help end Alzheimer's Disease.