NEWARK, Del. — Glenn Caffery is running an average of 33 miles on trails in every state in the country to fundraise for finding a cure for Alzheimer’s, a disease that heavily affected his family when his father was diagnosed at age 54.
The Massachusetts resident’s journey brought him to Newark late last month when he ran 32.3 miles through White Clay Creek State Park and Middle Run Valley Natural Area.
Caffery’s first running campaign started in 2011, eight years after his father, Dick Caffery, died. He embarked on a 3,200-mile solo trans-continental run to raise money for the Cure Alzheimer’s Fund. After sifting through many organizations, Caffery chose the Cure Alzheimer’s Fund because every dollar donated goes to researching cures for the disease. He raised nearly $17,000 during his 2011 run.
“I was looking around for the best Alzheimer’s organization, and I wanted to focus on research, on finding a cure,” Caffery said.
Caffery emphasized the importance of supporting research that is trying to prevent Alzheimer’s, not just provide caregiving support. Although caregiving is an important aspect, Caffery would rather put his efforts towards preventing the disease.