Painting the town purple: Conrad businesses team up to raise Alzheimer's awareness

In terms of sunlight, June 21—the summer solstice—is widely known as the longest day of the year, but as Conrad Chamber-Main Street Director Krista Grant points out, for those who suffer from Alzheimer’s Disease, it’s a constant feeling.
           
“The longest day of the year is every day for them because morning and night are the same thing,” she said. “Paint the Town was a community idea, so that’s why I liked it.”
           
Visitors and residents alike noticed the striking visual imagery of a downtown district painted purple on Thursday afternoon with messages of hope, information about the condition and ways to donate to Alzheimer’s research. Members of the Waterloo-based East Central Iowa chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association made the trek to Conrad to do the artwork after each participating business contributed a set amount of money. Individual establishments also raised money independently, and Candi Voss of GNB Insurance brought in over $400.
           
Oakview Nursing Home, which serves several residents suffering from the chronic neurodegenerative disease, painted their own display and had the “Concert Under the Oaks” trailer decked out in purple, but the show was cancelled due to rain. A vast majority of local employees donned purple clothing to show their solidarity.
           
Grant, who previously worked in hospice care in Marshalltown, feels a personal connection through the people she met at that job, and Something to Share Owner Sharon Dolphin lost her father to the disease approximately three years ago.
           
“I had lots of Alzheimer’s patients, and they were some of my favorite patients. They were just so fun to be with, so it’s always been something, in my heart, that I’ve enjoyed,” Grant said. 
 
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