WESTPORT — Holly Betts, assistant director of the Westport Center for Senior Activities, at the Sept. 21 “Optimism Walk” sponsored by the state chapter of the American Parkinson Disease Association at Sherwood Island State Park.

The 10th annual event, benefiting the nonprofit supporting people with Parkinson’s Disease, gets underway at 10 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 21, at the park’s pavilion.

In addition to the fundraising walkathon, other activities will include raffles, music, crafts for children, tai chi, educational resources, fall risk assessments and more. To register, click here.

Betts will be presented with the “Tiedemann Award” at the Optimism event, which recognizes a person who has provided notable support for the group’s mission “to ease the burden and find the cure” for Parkinson’s.

The award is a tribute to the legacy of Gladys Tiedemann, who had volunteered for APDA’s state chapter over more than 30 years before her death in 2014. Tiedemann was instrumental in setting up Parkinson’s support groups, organized fundraising walks and had a pivotal role in establishing the first Parkinson’s Disease information and referral center in the state.

Betts’s support for the APDA cause includes scheduling weekly Parkinson’s exercise classes at the senior center; organizing support groups for those diagnosed with the disease and their care partners, and setting up wellness programs for center members and the wider community.

In the last few years, Betts also has led a fundraising team of senior center members, called “Stand by Me,” at the local Optimism Walk.

“The optimistic spirit they show at the event each year is what the Westport walk is all about,” Erika Forte, the state APDA board president, said about Betts’s team.