Pathlights to Host First Annual AgeWell Community Walk

PALOS HEIGHTS, Illinois—Pathlights, a senior care services company, announced it will be hosting its first annual AgeWell Community Walk on Saturday, Sept. 12. 

“There are walks for cancer, for rare diseases, for pets, but there’s not a lot out there that just focus on aging,” said Karen Young, manager of corporate partnerships for Pathlights in Palos Heights, Illinois. “The simple fact is that aging is a journey that everyone goes on, and there’s many different things you encounter along the way.”

Young said the walk aims to bring people of all ages together to raise awareness about aging at home and to provide a community to the elderly.

“This walk is about more than just one day or one event,” said Elaine Grande, executive director for Pathlights. “It’s about recognizing the roles that all of us play in creating a community where older adults and caregivers know they are not alone and where the natural process of aging is met with kindness, understanding, compassion and support.”

The walk will be approximately half a mile, and Young said everyone is welcome to walk at their own pace or even use a walker, wheelchair and other mobility aids. There will also be activities for children and older adults, such as face painting, crafts, chair yoga and more. Food, music and even a raffle will be present.

Young said she urges community members to form teams of participants to tap into a communal spirit of fundraising and having fun. 

“We have some really nice incentives for teams who set and meet goals by asking their friends, family, local businesses, coworkers and neighbors to donate to their team fund.” she said. “Through this community and team support and our sponsors, we hope to reach our overall goal of $75,000. These funds are increasingly critical as federal support continues to shift and rising costs strain both Pathlights’ operations and the older adults it serves. For individuals on fixed incomes, inflation makes everyday expenses harder to manage and makes Pathlights’ services even more necessary. 

“There’s a whole lot of people out there who don’t know what we do, so we are also really working to build community awareness of all that Pathlights offers,” Young continued. “When difficult situations happen during the aging journey, many people don’t know where to start. Pathlights is here for everyone, to provide programs for the community, to help older adults and their caregivers. We really want people to be aware of the organization and the help we can offer.”

At the event, visitors and participants will find information about home-delivered meals and in-home services, caregiver support groups, adult protective services and memory gatherings, technology and estate planning seminars and financial and benefits advocacy, all helping older adults stay in their homes as long and as safely as possible.

Registration is now open for the AgeWell Walk. Until June 30, the early bird registration fee for adults is $20, for children ages 6 through 13 the fee is $10, and children 5 and under are free. Information, details, registration and donation opportunities are available at pathlights.org/agewellwalk. Young said if you can’t walk that day, you can still attend the event, donate or share on social media. 

The AgeWell Community Walk will kick off on Saturday, Sept. 12, 2026 at 10 a.m. at the Oak Lawn Park District Community Pavilion, located at 9401 S. Oak Park Avenue in Oak Lawn, Illinois.