Have you ever been to a restaurant and watched in amazement as the server carefully balances a tray of several drinks, poured to the rim in delicate glasses, along with an entire family’s piping hot meals and perhaps, even, a basket of bread for the next table?
Beverly Maurice, a lively, purple-haired gal from Statesville, is that server.
She is truly a ‘do it all’ kind of woman, gracefully balancing everything she’s involved in on her metaphorical tray. From her ongoing role as clergy at Congregation Emanuel in Statesville to sitting on the ethics committee for an area hospice, getting involved with her local PFLAG chapter and currently writing an article for the North Carolina Holocaust Council.
“Purple was my mother’s favorite color. It has now become my favorite color, and we know what purple represents,” she said, alluding to the other thing she’s been focused on lately.
Beverly is a team captain for the upcoming Walk to End Alzheimer’s – Iredell County. She plans to stroll at the September 24 event at Bellingham Park in Mooresville, but she may end up rolling, instead. Amidst all that Beverly has going on, she is also working through some medical issues and may potentially undergo surgery that will limit her mobility at the time of the walk. That’s not going to stop her from being there, though.
“If I have to get wheeled there, I’ll get wheeled there,” she said jokingly, adding, “I mean, not from Statesville to Mooresville. Ultimately, I’ll be there in some fashion but I am really pushing for it to be ambulating on my own two feet.”
For Beverly, the determination to fit the Walk into her long list of ongoing commitments stems from her mother, Sandi Appel, who passed away in 2017 after an Alzheimer’s diagnosis several years prior.
“It’s kind of hard for me to pinpoint when I actually lost mom the first time,” she said, expressing a sentiment that resonates with family and close friends of those diagnosed with Alzheimer’s or another dementia. In the later years, she explained, it was especially tough to watch her mother have intense screaming fits borne out of confusion and fear, common behavior changes as the disease progresses. But those difficult moments are not the memories Beverly thinks of as she prepares to walk (or roll) to honor her mom.
“My mom was my biggest cheerleader. She was like, ‘Oh, you cut your girl’s hair, look at you. You could do anything!’” Beverly recalled, tearfully, “Right now, even with my synagogue, ‘You could have been a Rabbi!’”
Speaking of Beverly’s own kids – her eldest son plans to walk with her again. The two walked together in 2021 in the Winston-Salem Walk, near where her parents lived. Interestingly, she said, this same son had to stop seeing his grandmother in the years before she passed because he couldn’t bear to witness his grandmother’s mental deterioration any further, Beverly explained. She fully understood, but was still saddened by it.
Yet, when Beverly invited her three kids to walk with her in Winston last year, he was the first to sign up. “That meant a lot. He was also one of my biggest donors,” she said. And now he’ll be walking with her again in Iredell County. Side-by-side, the two will continue to honor a woman they both loved and miss dearly.
This year, Beverly’s Walk Team, Bev’s Crew, has already surpassed their original goal of $500 and now aiming for $1,000. Given her slew of community connections, it’s no surprise she’s successfully collected donations to advance Alzheimer’s support, care and research.
Whether she’s on two wheels or two feet for her 2022 Walk, this certainly won’t be her last. Beverly said she is proud to be involved with the Alzheimer’s Association and sees a long future of in the fight to end Alzheimer’s.
“I will continue to remain with this organization in whatever capacity I can because I recognize the good and the needed work and I will continue to share my connections in whatever way I can,” Beverly said.
LIKE BEVERLY, WE ALL HAVE A REASON TO FIGHT FOR A WORLD WITHOUT ALZHEIMER’S DISEASE. Join your local Walk to End Alzheimer’s today as an individual, team, or sponsor.
The Alzheimer’s Association hosts 17 walks across North Carolina. The Alzheimer’s Association Walk to End Alzheimer’s is the world’s largest event to raise awareness and funds for Alzheimer’s care, support and research. Since 1989, the Alzheimer’s Association® mobilized millions of Americans in the Alzheimer’s Association Memory Walk®; now the Alzheimer’s Association is continuing to lead the way with Walk to End Alzheimer’s. Together, we can end Alzheimer’s. Your health and safety are our top priorities. We will continue to closely monitor CDC, state and local guidelines to ensure Walk events adhere to the latest recommendations.
| Alamance County | 9/24/2022 |
| Asheville | 10/8/2022 |
| Charlotte | 10/22/2022 |
| Fayetteville | 10/29/2022 |
| Gaston/Cleveland/Lincoln | 10/8/2022 |
| Guilford County | 10/15/2022 |
| Henderson County | 9/24/2022 |
| Iredell County | 9/24/22 |
| Jacksonville | 10/15/2022 |
| Moore County | 10/1/2022 |
| Mount Airy | 09/10/2022 |
| New Bern | 10/22/2022 |
| Rowan-Cabarrus | 10/29/2022 |
| Unifour (formerly Hickory) | 10/29/2022 |
| Triangle (Raleigh-Durham) | 10/15/22 |
| Wilmington | 11/5/2022 |
| Winston-Salem | 11/5/2022 |
Alzheimer’s isn’t stopping and neither are we.
GUEST BLOGGER:
Madeline David
Madeline is a former TV news reporter & anchor who got involved with the Alzheimer’s Association in 2020. She volunteers her nearly decade-long experience as a journalist to honor her late grandfather, who had with vascular dementia.
Alzheimer's Association North Carolina Blog 