Wright City sophomore Matthew Johnston is no stranger to giving up his time and volunteering for organizations that are dear to his heart. It was not until he saw an FBLA post that he first heard about The Walk to End Alzheimer’s. Intrigued, Johnston decided to volunteer and raise money for the association. 

He quickly made a poster to help raise funds. On the poster, he introduced the association, himself and how and why people should donate. Then, his mother posted his campaign on her Facebook and the donations flooded in. 

“I saw the opportunity and I took it. It was a walk and I was going to run since I do cross country, but I didn’t get to go,” Johnston said. “I still wanted to fundraise. It just seemed interesting and like something new.”

Johnston’s fundraising efforts ranked him fourth in the nation after he collected $501. 

“It surprised me because I wasn’t really shooting for a ranking. I was just fundraising to fundraise,” Johnston said. 

After gathering funds, Johnston decided to write individual thank you letters to the donors which he mailed after the walk. 

“I enjoyed sitting down writing them and most of them I knew, so it wasn’t just about the donating. It was more about who they are as a person and a larger thank you,” Johnston said. 

After the walk, Johnston recently found out he has a great grandmother that was diagnosed with Alzheimer's. He noted he does not know his great grandmother enough to have an emotional connection, but he has a lot of peers with older relatives that do have the disease. 

“Hearing the stories on social media of how their relatives may forget who they are to them sucks,” Johnston said. “...Knowing that I could have Alzheimer’s and there’s no way to spot it, I can help fund the research for it and there may be a way to prevent it.” 

While Johnston started volunteering for The Walk to End Alzheimer’s this year, he has also volunteered for the Salvation Army, along with other organizations. 

Last year, Johnston raised an estimated $1,300 for the Salvation Army. He noted the memories he has from volunteering are what make it enjoyable. He recalled one moment where he was outside ringing the bells and eating cheetos. A lady walked past and then later came back out to ask for one, but instead called it a “cheese doodle.” 

“It was funny and I’ll always remember that. It’s also fun when the people do stop to talk to you and it’s interesting to see their perspectives,” Johnston said. “A lot of the time they ask why we’re doing it and last year was for the hours, but this year it’s because we enjoy doing it.” 

Johnston wants to try to fundraise for next year’s walk, along with helping with potential future local events. 

“Seeing that $500 got me fourth adds a little more motivation to see how much more I can fundraise,” Johnston said.