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Photo courtesy of Epilepsy Foundation of America.
Walkers participate in the National Walk to EndEpilepsy in Washington, D.C., in April.
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Walk to End Epilepsy info.
The Epilepsy Foundation of Alabama, based off Lorna Road in Hoover, is holding its second annual Walk to End Epilepsy at Railroad Park in Birmingham on Saturday, Nov. 2.
The nonprofit group is asking people, as individuals or teams, to collect donations to sponsor them in the walk to help the group raise awareness about epilepsy and support research and services for people with the disorder.
The walk itself is about a mile, said Sara Franklin, the foundation’s executive director. The event will be held from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. and will include face painting, a disc jockey provided by WellDunn Entertainment, food, drinks and a “purple booth” where people can get decked out in accessories using the color purple, which is the internationally adopted color to represent epilepsy.
About 200 people registered for the first Alabama Walk to End Epilepsy last year, and Franklin hopes to get 350 people there this year. Last year’s walk raised about $13,700, and this year’s goal is an ambitious $50,000, Franklin said.
While it’s currently the only Walk to End Epilepsy in Alabama, Franklin said the organization hopes to hold walks in all cities with more than 100,000 residents in the future, including Huntsville, Montgomery, Mobile and Tuscaloosa, in addition to Birmingham. There are more than 54,000 people in Alabama living with epilepsy and seizures.
There is no registration fee to participate. Participants are asked to find sponsors and raise money for the foundation. Anyone who raises $50 will get a free T-shirt.
