Representatives from Russ Lyon Sotheby’s International Realty participated in a local walk last month to raise funds and awareness for Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, a rare and fatal neurodegenerative disorder.

The group joined the Strides for CJD Walk in the Seville neighborhood Oct. 12 in memory of Cathy Green, a former Southeast Valley office manager who died from the disease in 2024. Green led the office from 2019 until her death and was remembered by colleagues for her leadership and compassion.

Arizona does not host an official Strides for CJD event, but the Southeast Valley office has organized its own walk for the past two years. This year, the team raised $10,500 for the CJD Foundation, earning recognition as the top fundraising team and fifth place nationwide.

Strides for CJD events are held across the country to support the foundation’s mission of funding family support services, medical education and research programs. The disease currently has no treatment or cure.

Fifty-two participants from Russ Lyon Sotheby’s International Realty joined the walk, along with a family of eight honoring their own loved one affected by CJD.

Kim Wever, a close friend of Green and organizer of the walk, said the event was a way to honor Green’s legacy and contribute to finding a cure.

“Witnessing someone suffer from a debilitating disease with no cure leaves you feeling helpless,” Wever said. “After Cathy passed, I wanted to fight and make a difference. The Strides for CJD Walk offered a way to do just that.”