By NANETTE LoBIONDO GALLOWAY
After a temporary hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Seashore Gardens Foundation will be holding its 12th annual 5K Run & Health Walk in person on the Boardwalk in a new location this year.
The fundraiser, which benefits Alzheimer’s and dementia programs at the Simon & Sylvia Zisman Seashore Gardens continuum of care center in Galloway Township, will be held rain or shine Sunday, April 10, starting and ending at Stockton University Atlantic City campus.
According to Janice Cambron, who has retired as the center’s executive director after 37 years caring for aging adults – first at the Atlantic City location and then in Galloway Township starting in 2001 – positive excitement is building about being back on the Boardwalk after holding the event virtually during the COVID-19 outbreak.
Cambron said she sold “little yellow feet” representing her favorite springtime color and her feet crossing the finish line for $5 to raise money during the pandemic. Donors were able to write a personal message on the paper feet and she posted them on a placard at the center and on Facebook to encourage others to get fit and help a worthy cause.
“We couldn’t do the run in person, so everyone walked or ran and kept track of their miles,” she said. “Some of our employees even walked around the facility and our mini-golf course. But now we’re back on the Boardwalk where we can share camaraderie with our supporters. That type of positive excitement makes it something you want to do every year.”
The family-friendly 5K and Health Walk is a way to set some personal goals to maintain health and raise funds for a myriad of programs benefiting Seashore Gardens residents who are living with Alzheimer’s or dementia.
Approximately 70% of the residents at the nonprofit home for the aged have some form of memory loss, so the center has developed programming specifically for them, such as an indoor Eldergrow garden, and outdoor Sensory Trail and Healing Gardens, the Music and Memory program with a dedicated music room, and the Opening Minds Through Art program that pairs residents with Stockton students.
All programs are staffed by Certified Dementia Practitioners. The center also provides residents with therapeutic computers with sensory touch screens, called iN2L or It’s Never Too Late computers.
The center also conducts monthly community outreach programs for families dealing with a loved one suffering from memory loss.
The pandemic had a devastating impact on families because they were unable to see or visit their loved ones, Director of Donor Services Sharon D’Angio said.
“It was very hard for them, and people were very emotional,” she said. “The residents did well, but the families were distraught, so it will be nice to gather again with them and our supporters in person.”
D’Angio said the funds raised during the walk, which was one of the first things she organized after being hired at the living center, help the organization do things that make the lives of the residents better.
“During the first event, we had about 50 people participate, but now we get more than 200,” she said.
With COVID hopefully in the rearview mirror and the move to Stockton’s Atlantic City campus for the start and finish, the center is hoping that more people, including Stockton students, will participate.
Brian Jackson, chief operating officer of the Atlantic City campus and a Seashore Gardens Foundation board member for the last 10 years, said the university is marketing the run/walk to students, and several staff members have already signed up to participate.
Jackson, who has run in half-marathons and Philadelphia’s Broad Street Run, said as the weather turns warmer, it’s great to get outside and run on the Boardwalk, which is less stressful on the knees.
“Being by the ocean in the salt air is nice too,” he said. “It’s a great way to relieve stress.”
In addition to promoting fitness, which can help delay the onset of dementia in adults, the fundraiser benefits “one of the most highly regarded” level of care facilities in the area, Jackson said.
“From the time you walk in the doors, the way the facility is maintained dispels all the perceptions of what it’s like to be in a senior facility,” he said. “The level of care offered to residents, from the staff who engage and care for residents, to the dieticians who prepare healthy foods and maintenance staff who keep the place pristine, it’s obvious they take a lot of pride in the care they offer.”
That level of care is what encouraged him to become a foundation board member 10 years ago after then Stockton President Henry Saatkamp asked him to work collaboratively with Seashore Gardens in its quest to enrich elder lives, he said.
“When I am of age, I would be fortunate to be in a place such as Seashore Gardens,” Jackson said, while encouraging others to come out and support the event. “If you can’t run, you can walk for a great cause.”
The 5K Run will begin at 9 a.m. in front of Stockton’s beachfront campus on the Boardwalk at Albany Avenue. Timing will be provided by JB Sports Timing. The Health Walk, which is not timed, follows the same route immediately after the run steps off. Wheelchair participants are welcome.
Pre-register by April 8 and receive a free T-shirt and post-race refreshments. Pre-registration is $30 per person, or $25 for those under age 22. Same day registration is $40. Registration opens at 7:15 a.m. Packet pickup is noon-4:30 p.m. on April 8 at Seashore Gardens Living Center, 22 W. Jimmie Leeds Road in Galloway.
Medals will be awarded for the top three male and female finishers in each age category: 14 & under, 15-19, 20-29, 30-39, 40-49, 50-59, 60-69 and 70+. Prizes will also be awarded for Best Individual, Best Family or Group, Top Fundraising Team and Largest Team.
Free parking is available at the Stockton University Commuter and Public Parking, 3601 Boardwalk.
To register, see www.seashoregardens.org/5k. For more information about sponsorship opportunities, contact Sharon D’Angio at 609-748-4614 or email dangios@seashoregardens.org.
