Mayor David S. Cassetti cuts a purple ribbon in a Paint the Town Purple event outside City Hall Friday morning, raising awareness of Alzheimer’s disease in the month of June.
ANSONIA — A purple stripe runs down the center of Main Street, purple ribbons adorn antique light posts and storefronts are decked out in the royal color.
Eddy’s Bake Shop is selling purple frosted cupcakes and Copper City Grill is offering a special purple drink.
Ansonia’s downtown is celebrating its first “Paint the Town Purple” this month to raise awareness of Alzheimer’s disease, which touches the lives of 78,000 people and 178,000 caregivers in Connecticut.
Mayor David S. Cassetti issued a proclamation making June 2019 Alzheimer’s and Brain Awareness Month in the state during a small ceremony in front of the steps of City Hall Friday morning.
“We all have someone affected by this,” Cassetti said from the podium. “My own grandmother in 1984, I lost her to this disease.”
Cassetti said he remembers his grandmother as a vibrant woman in the 1960s and 70s, adding it was difficult to later see the emotional strain on his mother as she cared for her in her deteriorating mental state.
“It broke my heart to see her like that,” the mayor said.
The mayor plans to participate in Paint the Town Purple every year. He said Wheeler’s Farm Line Striping of Milford painted the purple stripe down Main Street.
State Sen. George Logan, R‑Ansonia, was among the speakers at Friday’s event, which culminated in the mayor cutting a purple ribbon.
Standard Oil parked a purple truck nearby. It was painted in recognition of the fight against Alzheimer’s.
“I am so proud of my town today for raising awareness about Alzheimer’s awareness,” Logan said. “It is not only the patients who suffer from the disease, but also the caregivers.”
According to the Alzheimer’s Association, 5.8 million Americans are living with the disease and caregivers provide an estimated 18.5 billion hours of unpaid care for their loved ones, which is valued at nearly $234 billion.
“We have to be more ferocious and determined in fighting this disease,” Logan said, adding Ansonia is a role model for other communities.
2019 Ansonia Goes Purple by The Valley Indy on Scribd
Kristen Cusato, director of communications for the Alzheimer’s Association, said 77 percent of the funds the nonprofit raises are spent on care, support and research.
This month, Cusato said towns and cities all over Connecticut are participating in Paint the Town Purple with their own events.
In Ansonia, many restaurants will be conducting collections for the Alzheimer’s Association.
The association has a large fundraiser scheduled for Sept. 29 in New Haven. The ‘Walk to End Alzheimer’s’ hopes to raise more than $380,000. Click here for more information.
Among Friday’s featured speakers was Bobbi Tar, of Ansonia.
Tar lost both of her parents to Alzheimer’s last year. She and her husband, John, have participated in the Walk to End Alzheimer’s events at both Lighthouse Point in New Haven and Calf Pasture Beach in Norwalk for the past five years.
“We are raising awareness by sharing our stories and taking action,” Tar said, adding she is elated by the outpouring of support from Ansonia and its businesses.
“That everybody in this town was willing with no hesitation to make their storefronts purple, to create a purple drink and have forget me not flowers … all of the mannequins at My Sister’s Place dress shop have purple dresses.”
Judy Nicolari, the city treasurer, whose sister suffers from dementia, announced the formation of the Greater Valley Chapter of Ansonia Music Mends Minds, the first chapter among the New England states.
Music Mends Minds is a national nonprofit that uses music to slow the symptoms of those living with traumatic brain disorders. Nicolari invited everyone to the Valley chapter’s launch at Joseph Doyle Senior Center this Tuesday at 1:30 p.m.
The Forget Me Nots choir of local people living with memory loss will perform a show with acts from volunteers and caregivers, including Irish Step Dancing, an Elvis impersonator and a rendition of “Singing in the Rain.”
John Lewis, of Ansonia, was among those attending Friday’s ceremony. He said his grandmother lived to 114, but suffered from Alzheimer’s during the last few years of her life and now his father is starting to forget things.
Lewis praised BHcare, a regional nonprofit organization in Ansonia that provides mental health and addiction services, for helping him to cope.
Lewis said he was encouraged to see the city step up with Paint the Town Purple.
“A lot of people have been through it,” he said of dealing with the disease. “Husbands and wives.”
Cusato said those with questions about dementia can call the Alzheimer’s Association’s toll free helpline at 1 – 800-272‑3900.
