ROCHESTER, N.Y. — Gardens can be hives of activity as well as havens of peace.

But for University of Rochester students this garden- is a living promise.

What You Need To Know

  • According to the CDC by 2050, 14 million Americans will suffer from Alzheimer's and other forms of dementia. While there’s treatment, there is no cure

  • The University of Rochester’s URAA group will raise funds for the Alzheimer’s Association by planting a “Living Promise Garden” on campus. Hundreds of flowers will be planted outside of LeChase and Wegmans Halls on campus, in addition to outside the entrance to the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry

  • According to the Rochester & Finger Lakes Region Chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association in New York State, there are more than 426,5000 people living with the disease and 543,000 caregivers

“Just to raise awareness and to honor the people that you've lost or the people you're caring for, people who are living through it,” student Percy Bedell said.

Planting hundreds of flowers for the millions of people living with Alzheimer's disease.

The colors correspond to their connection to the disease. The purple flower is carried by people who have lost someone to Alzheimer’s or dementia, the yellow flower is for caregivers, the blue flower is for people who are currently living with the disease, and the orange flower represents general support in the fight against Alzheimer’s.

Although most people would consider Alzheimer's disease a concern only to older adults, a group of college students at the University of Rochester has made it their mission to spread awareness and support the efforts to find a cure. 

“When you're a student and you're at this age, there's not much you can do,”  University of Rochester’s Alzheimer's Awareness Association president Marianna Madianos said. “You can't find the cure. So we're trying to do as much as we can with whatever we have available.” 

Its impact has taken a toll, not only on the individual living with the diagnosis but the students themselves.

“I'm international, I am from Greece, and, my great uncle he graduated from the same high school for me,” Madianos said. “He came to U of R, which was like many years ago when people didn't travel that much for university. I was following in his footsteps. And he's someone I look up to. Unfortunately, he has Alzheimer's. So I wanted to do whatever I could to feel close to him.”

“Both of my grandparents died,” Bedell said. “It definitely took a toll on my dad. Like, caring for, both of his parents. It's one of those neurodegenerative diseases that we just don't exactly know what's happening yet. And as hard as people are working on discovering that at all, the, all the awareness and money and time counts.”

The flowers were all donated by the University of Rochester groundskeeping department, some of whom also impacted by the disease.

“Actually I lost my grandma to Alzheimer's two years ago, so it was very heart warming for me to see,” Assistant horticulturist Michael Chukdyk said. “The more support we get and as we all come together, we'll strive closer to finding something.”

Growing more than just flowers, but a growing interest by the younger generation to help find a cure.

“I wouldn't be here if my grandparents hadn’t worked that hard if my parents hadn’t worked hard. So I feel like helping the older generation is something that we owe it to them,” Madianos said.

The University of Rochester Alzheimer's Awareness Association (URAA) was founded several years ago by Everest Galbraith and Kibin Kyeong, neuroscience majors in the pre-med program, who wanted to learn more about the disease and promote the work of the Rochester & Finger Lakes Region Chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association.

The group, which currently boasts more than 100 members, has offered numerous educational opportunities for University of Rochester students, in addition to organizing events that have raised significant funds for the Walk to End Alzheimer’s.

At the Walk to End Alzheimer’s, the Association’s nationwide fundraiser in support of its mission, its newest development of its Promise Garden was inspired by the pinwheel flowers displayed throughout the walk. This year the walk will take place Oct. 4, 2025.