April showers may bring May flowers, but in Clinton, May brings the annual Henry County Memory Fund Big Purple Party, and is also bringing a speaker to town to present information on the latest research on the diagnosis and treatment of Alzheimer Disease.
According to Christa Atchison, chairperson of the H.C. Memory Fund, the Big Purple Party raises about $20,000 a year. Most of the funds are kept local, to help Henry County residents — recently, the Fund paid for respite care so a spouse’s caregiver could attend a grandchild’s high school graduation, Christa said. The fund has also provided help with prescriptions, medical equipment, transportation and housing, payable to vendors only.
The Memory Fund designates 10 percent of money raised to a research project at the Knight Alzheimer Disease Research Center at the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. On May 18, Andrea Denny, a KADRC neurology instructor, will give an update on the center’s research. People can find out about the latest tests and treatments, and how people can be involved in the research effort —the KADRC is looking for volunteers with Alzheimer’s in their family medical history, Christa said.
Denny’s presentation, “Hope Through Research,” is free and open to the public, and will start at 5:30 p.m. on May 18 in the Back Room, the new community meeting room at Clinton United Methodist Church. A light meal will be provided at 5:15 p.m. Parking is on the east side of the church, 601 S. 4th, Clinton, Mo.
The 9th Annual Big Purple Party will be May 6 at Hawthorn Bank at the Old Country Club Park, 1400 E. Ohio, starting at 9 a.m. with registration. Some people fund raise or choose to make a donation, Christa said, but it’s not necessary to contribute to participate.
After an opening ceremony at 9:30 a.m, participants will walk from the bank parking lot towards the Hampton Inn and around the Old Country Club Park, a loop of about a mile. The route will be lined with “Hall of Remembrance” signs with the names of people whose families have left memorials to the Henry County Memory Fund. All participants are invited to bring a sign to be placed on the route to show why they walk, Christa said. The party usually winds down around 10:30 a.m.
Top sponsors include Mills and Sons Insurance, Dr. Mark and Lisa Snell, and the Clinton Rotary Club. The Rotary supports the Memory Fund by holding the annual Connie Austin Cake Auction, named for the woman who started the fundraiser, Christa said.
The number of participants in the Big Purple Party has remained steady at close to 100, but the fund is growing, she said, and is always looking for more families and caregivers to assist.
“We’re putting faces to this disease,” Christa said. “Once you know someone who has been down that road, you may be more comfortable talking with them about assistance.”
The H.C. Memory Fund offers a caregivers’ support group, which is led by Ranae Walrath and meets at Clinton Christian Church at noon on the first Wednesday of the month. The Memory Fund also provides IPODs for Alzheimer’s and dementia patients, loaded with music from the patients’ younger days.
Families, loved ones, caregivers, and teams from nursing facilities will participate in the May 6 party at Hawthorn Bank, Christa said. Some teams come in matching T-shirts honoring their loved one, she said, but most people wear T-shirts from past Memory Fund events. Event shirts are given to people raising $100 or more.
There may be people participating who are in the early stages of the disease, she said, but it’s not like a Cancer Relay for Life fundraiser, which celebrates survivors, because there are no survivors of Alzheimer’s.
“We’re celebrating those who are battling the disease, or have lost the battle,” she said.
Christa, who was born and raised in Clinton, was a teenager when her grandmother, Margaret Atchison, was diagnosed with Alzheimer Disease. Christa helped her family care for Margaret for as long as they were able to keep her grandmother at home, she said. Margaret passed away in 1997.
The symbol of the Alzheimer’s movement is the forget-me-not, a perennial that blooms from May through October. The color theme of the party is purple, a reminder that Alzheimer’s Disease is not a red or blue issue, but one that spans divisions.
In May, it’s something to remember.
