A mail carrier from Etobicoke will be in downtown Windsor skating at Charles Clark Square to raise awareness and money to find a cure for Alzheimer's disease.
Steve McNeil will be skating for 19 hours and 26 minutes, from 12 a.m. to 7:26 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 5, as part of his #1926skate.
McNeil's mother Eunice was born in 1926 and suffered from Alzheimer's, with the fundraising skate in her honour.
He asks that people donate $19.26 to the Alzheimer Society in their region in support of his efforts, which in turn, will support local Alzheimer Societies.
Locally, it is projected that in 2022, there will be 8,310 people living in Windsor and Essex County over the age of 40 with Alzheimer's disease or other dementias.
The skate in Windsor is just one stop as he plans to skate in 10 Ontario regions and towns as part of his campaign.
McNeil told AM800's The Shift with Patty Handysides that when he hits the ice alone to start the skate, he just puts on some AC/DC and gets going.
"I enjoy myself. Through the night it gets kid of challenging sometimes with the weather, but you just keep yourself going. Once people start showing up during the day and talking to you, the day just fly's by," he says.
McNeil skates alone throughout the night when the rink is closed to the public. He respects the staff who take care of the ice, and encourages everyone to join him for a short time and skate to help raise awareness of Alzheimer's disease.
Click here for more information on the campaign or click here to make a donation to the Alzheimer's Society of Windsor-Essex County.