Zaxby’s Longest Day fundraiser is June 22
Everybody loves chicken. From 10:30 a.m. until 9 p.m., Thursday, June 22, eat some chicken for a good cause. Zaxby’s in Turkey Creek will be giving 20 percent of all sales that day to the Alzheimer’s Association. The restaurant is participating in “The Longest Day,” just one day after the official summer solstice June 21.
The annual event, named for the longest day of the year, also symbolizes the challenging journey of those with Alzheimer’s disease and the long days their caregivers put in, said Rebecca Williams, community outreach manager for Alzheimer’s Association Eastern Tennessee Chapter.
“In Farragut, the Zaxby’s in Turkey Creek hosts a give-back event at the store starting at 10:30 a.m.,” Williams said.
The Alzheimer’s Association is encouraging people to do a special activity this month and is hoping those activities will spark a global conversation about the brain, Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias as part of Alzheimer’s & Brain Awareness Month, Williams said.
“There are other groups here in Knoxville who are raising money and awareness,” Williams added. “There’s a local family doing a run on the 21st to honor their mother. It’s a great way to raise awareness about the disease. There’s a gentleman in Townsend who’s going to ride his bike in Cades Cove on The Longest Day.
“Even if you don’t have an activity planned, eating at Zaxby’s is a great way to support the cause. All the money raised goes to care, support and research. The Alzheimer’s Association is the worlds’ largest nonprofit funder of research. That’s so important because there’s no cure, no drugs to delay onset.”
“Alzheimer’s affects people in all walks of life,” said Pamela Milliken, Farragut resident and marketing specialist at Zaxby’s in Turkey Creek and Alcoa. “One in three seniors will die from Alzheimer’s or some other type of dementia.
“If you have had to care for a person with Alzheimer’s, you immediately understand the stress and sadness that the caregiver is going through without an explanation,” Milliken added.
“Some of our staff have had close relative pass away from complications of Alzheimer’s, myself included, and some of our staff are living with the challenges now. We are honored to work with the Alzheimer’s Association.”
Currently, more than five million Americans are living with Alzheimer’s disease, Williams said, including an estimated 110,000 Tennesseans.
To make a donation, call Rebecca Williams at 865-200-6668 or go to alz.org
