Paint the Plaza Purple raises funds for Alzheimer’s Association of Mississippi

MERIDIAN, Miss. (WTOK) -A state-wide organization hosted a dine, shop, and donate event in Meridian Tuesday night, with a goal to raise funds to help support people who have Alzheimer’s.

The Alzheimer’s Association of Mississippi held its inaugural Paint the Plaza Purple event at Dumont Plaza.

The community was able to listen to live music, eat and shop locally while donating to a great cause. Downtown restaurants and shops in Meridian donated a portion of their proceeds to the Alzheimer’s Association for critical care, support, and research.

“We’re trying to literally light up the night against the darkness tonight. So we have luminaries available for $5 and you can put the name of a loved one on there. Our hope is that when this event is over tonight and everyone is done having a good time, we’ve got the plaza lit up to fight the darkness of Alzheimer’s as a little bit of courage and hope,” said the Alzheimer’s Association of Mississippi, Dan Donnelly.

Executive Director of the Mississippi Chapter Chad Polk said the organization was founded by volunteers and is the heartbeat of what they do.

“We’re all about supporting families that are in the midst of this devastating disease, Alzheimer’s and other dementia but we have lots of measures that we support with our care and support. We have massive projects all around the world that are taking place for research, have our latest treatment out with Lecanemab, that’s cognitive decline helping families. But we are all about supporting families that are battling the disease and trying to put an end to the disease. Ultimately when you find people like Dan Donnelly that are from this Meridian area that is just devoted to the mission and driving the whole community together it is extremely impactful. We need more people like Dan around this world to put an end to this disease,” said Polk.

To learn more about the resources and support available visit https://www.alz.org/ or call their 24/7 hotline at 800-272-3900.

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