By Burtland Dixon
Alzheimer’s San Diego will continue their annual Walk4ALZ on October 15, 2022, with the help of some of San Diego’s most generous people. Each year, walkers kindly donate what they can. They can do it individually or create a team to do so. As of the first week of July, team Quest for the Cure has passed the half-a-million-dollar mark over the past six years through fundraising!
Created by Linda Cioffi, Quest for the Cure has consistently been the top fundraising team for Alzheimer’s research and support for Alzheimer’s San Diego’s community programs. “Linda Cioffi is a force of nature. Her tireless drive to help San Diegans dealing with dementia comes from a deep place of compassion and empathy. Alzheimer’s San Diego is lucky to have her on our team,” president and CEO of Alzheimer’s San Diego Eugenia Welch said.
Cioffi’s illustrious resume includes running the renowned memory care facility Alpine View Lodge and decades of working with people living with dementia. At a recent Quest for the Cure event highlighting their fundraising success, Cioffi said, “I want to thank all of you for supporting our team, for supporting the shared dream of someday finding a cure for this awful disease.” Equipped with an astonishing level of humility and consideration of others, Cioffi understands the power of teamwork.
“I lost my grandmother in 1988, Cioffi added. Her last two years, because of dementia, she often didn’t know who I was. [She] knew I was someone special, but not sure who.” Unfortunately, her mother also dealt with the disease, so Cioffi had to endure what it’s like having two loved ones become people who didn’t recognize her. These aren’t experiences Linda Cioffi can forget. Rather, they became a fuel that helped her move forward, and it’s beautiful to see Cioffi working so hard to help find a cure for the disease that affects so many.
