Motorcyclists from across the Southland took part in a poker run Sunday to help end Alzheimer's.

The Desert Riders Association's first Ride to End Alzheimer's kicked off fundraising efforts for the Alzheimer's Association, which organizes the annual Walk to End Alzheimer's in March.

The ride began Sunday morning at Palm Springs Harley-Davidson and ended several hours later at American Legion Post 519 in Palm Springs. Along the way, motorcyclists stopped at six senior living and Alzheimer's care facilities in Palm Springs, Rancho Mirage and Palm Desert.

"It was just amazing how excited the residents got about seeing these motorcycles come in," said Steve Harmon, regional director of the Alzheimer's Association.

At each facility riders stopped to meet residents, show them their motorcycles and tour the facilities.

"I think we got as much or more out of it than the residents," said Ken Fort, spokesman for the Desert Riders Association. "I think if you could have seen the faces of the bikers as they interacted at every spot, quite frankly, it was quite touching."

Irish Bobby, the club's senior road captain, made the event a sanctioned ride to boost participation.

"Today's event was fantastic," he said.

Fort said 51 bikes and 75 riders, including several from Los Angeles, participated in Sunday's ride. He estimated $1,500 to $2,000 was raised for the Alzheimer's Association.

This year's ride was about raising awareness in the biker community, said Fort. He's optimistic next year's ride will raise even more money for the Alzheimer's Association.

"Next year, I already know we're going to have 120 bikes," said Fort. "This thing will be three times the size."

Approximately 5.4 million Americans are living with Alzheimer's disease, according to the Alzheimer's Association. It is the sixth-leading cause of death in the United States.