Greenville turns into Purpleville next weekend for Alzheimer’s & dementia awareness

GREENVILLE, Maine (WABI) - Next weekend, Greenville is turning into Purpleville!

The town will have community events from Friday to Sunday, including a kickball tournament, motor ride, walk, fashion show and more. The streets will be decorated in purple, the official awareness color of Alzheimer’s and dementia.

Alzheimer’s Association reports that more than six million Americans are living with Alzheimer’s and the disease kills more than breast and prostate cancer combined.

The proceeds raised will be equally donated to Pine Tree Hospice and Jackson Labs Center for Alzheimer’s and Dementia Research. Pine Tree Hospice is a volunteer-run hospice center in Dover-Foxcroft that serves all who need assistance, company, and education, including those experiencing Alzheimer’s and dementia. Jackson Labs has two teams of researchers investigating the origins, progression, treatment, and possibly even a cure for these diseases.

Ahead of next weekend, Purpleville has already raised over $15,000. Local Greenville businesses along with community members have been the source for most donations.

“Everybody just cares so authentically about each other. And it’s been amazing to me to see the amount of connections and friendships that have been formed because of Purpleville, because we have these relatable connections for this thing that often brings a lot of darkness into people’s lives,” explains Katie Luce, Purpleville Committee Chair. “And the light that has come out of the connections that have been forged because Purpleville is a thing has really been one of the greatest highlights of my life.”

Purpleville began in 2019, organized by six Greenville community members who have personal connections to Alzheimer’s and dementia. The town of Greenville enthusiastically allowed the Purpleville name change for one weekend in June, during Alzheimer’s and Brain Awareness Month. Since then, this will be the third time Greenville has turned into Purpleville.

When it comes to the impact Purpleville has made to Greenville, Pine Tree Hospice and Jackson Labs, and the fight against Alzheimer’s and dementia, Luce says with a beaming grin, “To see the work that we do is making a real difference in people’s lives, both on a local level and globally... How many small towns can say that?”

For more organization, event, and donation information, visit Purpleville’s website.

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