Paint the Plaza Purple brings awareness to Alzheimer’s
Published 6:07 pm Wednesday, April 23, 2025
Ruby Walker, left, and Lesley Rey give attendees to Paint the Plaza Purple information on The Mississippi Alzheimer’s Association Tuesday at Dumont Plaza. Photos by Thomas Howard
More than a hundred Meridian and Lauderdale County residents came out to Dumont Plaza on Tuesday to raise awareness about Alzheimer’s disease at the third annual Paint the Plaza Purple.
The yearly event, organized by Daniel Donnelly, has already become one of the signature fundraisers for the Alzheimer’s Association in Mississippi.
Jennifer Bennett, executive director for The Mississippi Alzheimer’s Association, said Paint the Plaza Purple is breaking barriers and opening up conversations about Alzheimer’s, dementia and other diseases that have traditionally been taboo to speak on.
“This is (Donnelly’s) third year doing this event, and it has just continued to grow and it’s really bringing awareness around something that just has been a stigma to so many people,” she said. “Just because you hear the word ‘Alzheimer’s’ or you hear the word ‘dementia’ does mean that you’re no longer alive. That’s not true. What that means is that people come to gather and help understand how we can further advance this mission with research and really provide some type of education and awareness around this cause.”
According to data from the Alzheimer’s Association, roughly 62,500 Mississippians over age 65, approximately 12.5%, have the disease. It is the seventh highest cause of death in the state and accounts for more than $600 million in medicaid spending annually.
Mississippi also ranks sixth in highest number of hours per caregiver, with 175 million unpaid hours of care provided by 93,000 caregivers each year. The unpaid care represents a value of more than $2.3 billion.
Donnelly, who got involved with the Alzheimer’s Association as a volunteer, said it’s easy to feel helpless and frustrated caring for someone with Alzheimer’s, but Paint the Plaza Purple is a way to fight back on behalf of those suffering from the disease.
“You just sit there, and you just watch, and you watch, and you feel helpless, you feel guilty,” he said. “Tonight, we’re going to kick back a little bit, and we get to punch it back.”
Bringing awareness and educating the public about Alzheimer’s, dementia and other diseases is crucial, Bennett said. Unfortunately, Mississippi leads the nation in mortality from Alzheimers, she said, which means it’s even more important to bring awareness and understanding about the disease into the public light.
Educating the public to notice warning signs and giving them the tools to have tough conversations with their loved ones is what Tuesday’s event is all about, she said.
“The more and more that we can have the conversation with individuals that we love the most, the more awareness that we can bring to this disease,” she said.
For more information about The Alzheimer’s Association, its efforts or how to get involved, visit alz.org. More information about Paint the Plaza Purple can be found on the event’s Facebook page, Paint the Plaza Purple 2025.
