This Saturday’s fourth annual North Fork Walk to End Alzheimer’s is just the one of numerous community programs highlighting healthy aging to be held at Peconic Landing in Greenport this week.
The Walk to End Alzheimer’s will be held this Saturday, Oct. 3. Registration for the walk begins at 9 a.m. on Saturday, Oct. 3, 2026. A Promise Garden ceremony, where participants raise high colorful flowers representing their connection to the disease, will be held at 9:30 a.m. followed by the walk at 10 a.m.
Organizers are hoping to beat last year’s record-setting total of $123,000. As of Sept. 30, the walk had already raised nearly $108,000.
The North Fork walk is one of more than 600 Alzheimer’s walks across the country organized by the Alzheimer’s Association, which researches potential cures, treatments and lifestyle changes that can help people living with Alzheimer’s and other dementias, and provides resources and support groups for patients and their family members.
We attended a fundraising kick-off for the walk back in May at Tucker’s Taproom in Mattituck.
“The recent facts and figures are overwhelming,” said Judy Wichter, Associate Director of Development for the Alzheimer’s Association’s Long Island Chapter, at the May 7 event. “There are seven million Americans living with Alzheimer’s, and on Long Island there are 62,000. Nearly 13 million people (nationwide) — spouses, children and friends, are providing care, not for a paycheck, but out of love.”
North Fork resident Nancy Chandler, co-chair of the North Fork walk, is a volunteer for the Alzheimer’s Association. She was a caregiver for her mother, who had Lewy body dementia, is now caring for her husband, who was recently diagnosed with Alzheimer’s.
She said at the May 7 event that the Alzheimer’s Association’s caregiver support network — including a 24-hour helpline at 1.800.272.3900 and local support groups in Riverhead, Mattituck, Greenport and East Hampton, is a great lifeline to other people facing the same challenges.
The Alzheimer’s Association also provides an online tool, Alz Navigator, which helps families to create personalized action plans and Trial Match, which connects patients with research studies.
“We want to be your partner in this journey every step of the way,” she said. “It really helps to have people around you who understand and support you.”
Jennifer Drofenik, the former Director of Health Services at Peconic Landing, is also co-chairing the walk. She said that the Alzheimer’s Association has a fundraising app that can be used to track donations, in addition to fundraising pages that can be set up for teams and individual fundraisers.
The North Fork walk, which began humbly in 2023 raising $27,000, is setting a fundraising target this year of $140,000. Four hundred walkers took part in the 2025 walk.
Ms. Drofenik said the best way to start your own fundraising plan is to talk to people about how Alzheimer’s has impacted your life.
“Everybody has been impacted by it,” she said. “It’s about the cure and helping everybody get together and help each other out. If you haven’t been affected by this disease, it’s only a matter of time.”
Active Aging Week
Peconic Landing is also an official host site for Active Aging Week, organized by the International Council on Active Aging (ICAA).
From Oct. 5 to Oct. 9, the senior community will celebrate this national observance with a week of free activities aimed at promoting healthy, active living at all ages.
“We’re excited to welcome the greater community to Peconic Landing for Active Aging Week,” said Peconic Landing CEO and President Bob Syron. “The week reflects the energy and enthusiasm that define our community, with opportunities to move, learn, connect and try something new. We invite all of our neighbors to join us and discover the many ways to support an active and engaged life.”
The week’s schedule includes:
- Qigong for Movement on Monday, 10/5 @ 9:30am
- Stroll Around Campus, a Guided Walking Tour on Monday, 10/5 @ 11:00am
- Live Music by AKM: Aiming for the Key of Music on Monday, 10/5 @ 3:00pm
- Super Slow Stretch, for Gentle Stretching & Mobility on Tuesday, 10/6 @ 10:30am
- Live Birds of Prey with Quogue Wildlife Refuge on Tuesday, 10/6 @ 2:00pm
- Zumba on Wednesday, 10/7 @ 8:30am
- Chair Yoga on Wednesday, 10/7 @ 11:00am
- Ballroom Dance Lessons with Alexandra Binder of Blue Collar Ballroom on Wednesday, 10/7 @ 2:00pm
- Dancing with Parkinsons on Wednesday, 10/7 @ 2:00pm
- Latin Dance Lessons with Alexandra Binder of Blue Collar Ballroom on Wednesday, 10/7 @ 3:15pm
- Bocce: Open Play on Thursday, 10/8 @ 1:00-3:00pm
- “Have You Heard a Good Book Lately?” Lecture by Gerard Doyle, Award-Winning Audiobook Narrator, on Friday, 10/9 @ 7:00pm
The events, open to the public, “go hand in hand with Peconic Landing’s philosophy of successful living, which emphasizes natural movement, connection, positive outlook, healthy eating, and brain health,” according to Peconic Landing.
The community’s commitment to this philosophy has earned it national recognition from ICAA. In 2024, the group named Peconic Landing the #1 Senior Living Community for Wellness in North America, followed by a Top 5 distinction in 2025. In 2025, Peconic Landing President and CEO Robert J. Syron was also recognized as one of the Top 5 Wellness Executives in Senior Living in North America.
Registration for the Active Aging Week events is required. To learn more about Peconic Landing’s Active Aging Week events or to register for any of the activities, visit www.peconiclanding.org/events.
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