Registration is open for the 2026 Walk to End Alzheimer's in Austin, with the event site opening at 8 a.m., a ceremony at 9:30 a.m. and the walk itself starting at 10 a.m. There's no cost to sign up, though every participant needs to register and sign a standard waiver before taking part.
According to act.alz.org, children are welcome too — parents and guardians can register kids either online or with an offline registration form. The walk is designed as a rain-or-shine event, though organizers say they will cancel in the event of severe weather. Anyone who registers and raises at least $100 earns an official Walk to End Alzheimer's T-shirt, mailed out via USPS.
The event is organized locally by the Alzheimer's Association Capital of Texas Chapter, which has served Central Texas for more than 30 years. The chapter supports diagnosed individuals, their families and caregivers, and the professionals who care for them, offering support groups, educational programs, individualized planning from master's-level clinicians, and community resource lists.
Volunteers Needed Across Multiple Event-Day Roles
Organizers are actively recruiting volunteers to help with setup, cleanup, registration, water stops and the Promise Garden, among other duties, per the same account. All funds raised through the walk go toward the Alzheimer's Association's broader care, support and research efforts — money that touches everything from scientific inquiry to education for healthcare providers and advocacy work on behalf of families.
That mission reaches well beyond a single Saturday morning. As CBS Austin reports, Raegan Scott, a representative of the Alzheimer's Association Capital of Texas, said an Alzheimer's diagnosis affects the entire family — not just the person living with the disease. Scott, who joined the station's We Are Austin segment with Sierra Waggoner and Trevor Scott, said the association funds research and public-policy advocacy while also supporting physicians and families navigating a diagnosis.
A Statewide Push Alongside the Local Walk
The Austin walk fits into a much larger statewide and national effort. Texas voters approved a $3 billion investment to launch the Dementia Prevention and Research Institute of Texas, according to the Capital of Texas chapter, and the Walk to End Alzheimer's itself is held annually in more than 600 communities nationwide. The Alzheimer's Association says positive, everyday habits can make a difference in brain health, potentially lowering the risk of cognitive decline and, possibly, Alzheimer's and dementia.
Fundraising totals from past Austin-area walks give a sense of scale. The 2025 Austin walk carried a fundraising goal of $465,000, per CBS Austin's earlier coverage, which also noted that last year's event included stops in both Williamson County and Austin. Team fundraising has been a major driver of those totals in past years — the Reserve at Lake Austin previously held the event's Traveling Trophy after raising more than $76,000, and act.alz.org listed Edward Jones as a leading team fundraiser in a recent leaderboard snapshot, though a separate event-page snippet showed different figures for that same leaderboard.
How Community Members Can Get Involved
Community members can register to walk, donate or volunteer, and the Alzheimer's Association is also offering opportunities to join the walk committee to help sustain the organization's ongoing work. Scott highlighted advances being made in Alzheimer's detection and stressed the importance of making those developments accessible to patients, according to the CBS Austin interview.
For families navigating a recent diagnosis, the chapter's offerings — support groups, individualized planning and community resource lists — are positioned as a starting point. Whether showing up on walk day or volunteering beforehand, organizers say every contribution helps fund research and support services for Central Texas families affected by Alzheimer's and other forms of dementia.
