Last fall, Westminster Presbyterian Church in Cape Girardeau transitioned to being a dementia-friendly congregation, and at 7 p.m. Thursday it�s hosting a community-driven �praise sing,� with proceeds to benefit the Alzheimer�s Association.

Westminster pastor Karen Dumey said last year the church designed its worship service to be �very comfortable for people with dementia and Alzheimer�s.�

�We are now trying to do more with the Alzheimer�s Association,� she said.

Dumey said last year she noticed there was a fundraiser called �The Longest Day� held near St. Louis, which originally sparked her interest for hosting a similar event in Cape Girardeau. Dumey said the event was the second biggest fundraiser, behind the annual Alzheimer�s Walk in September.

After speaking with local Alzheimer�s volunteers, Dumey said she discovered �it�s just not a fundraiser that has much notice� in Southeast Missouri.

Dumey said as far as she knows, there aren�t many local churches that have become specifically dementia-friendly, which is �our main vision and concern we operate around.�

�So we at Westminster thought, �Well, why don�t we do something for the Longest Day,�� Dumey said. �We thought we�d have a �praise sing� on the longest day of the year, which is June 21.�

Thursday is the beginning of the summer solstice, which is also the day of the year that has the most hours of daylight. The date varies between June 20 and June 22, depending on the year and the local time zone.

The date also plays into the idea for having the fundraiser, Dumey explained.

�From what I�ve read, for persons living with Alzheimer�s, each and every day for them is the longest day of their lives,� she said.

Thursday�s event will be the first event of its kind Westminster Presbyterian Church has hosted, Dumey said.

She describes Westminster as �a very music-oriented congregation� and said for people with Alzheimer�s and other forms of dementia, music is one of the last things �they lose.�

�Even persons who can no longer speak can still sometimes sing a song they learned as a little child,� Dumey said. �Or, if they can�t sing it, they can hum along or keep rhythm with the beat.�

So for Dumey and her congregation, music �just seemed like a natural thing� to focus on for the fundraiser and they hope it becomes an annual event.

Dumey, Bill Tucker, Trudy Lee, Eric Scott and Brett Yount will perform music for the event, along with the New Beginning quartet, and other musical groups.

�We also are having the Mitchell family,� she said. �They�re from First Pentecostal Church in Cape Girardeau. And we�re also having a group called Barefoot on Sunday, from Abbey Road Christian Church in Cape Girardeau.�

The event also will include �a lot of music, both Christian and secular music,� according to Dumey, and an offering will be taken, with 100 percent of proceeds to benefit the Alzheimer�s Association.

�Hopefully, this will grow, and we�ll have a lot more interest and varied talent,� Dumey said. �But you have to start somewhere.�

According to the organization�s website, The Alzheimer�s Association works on a global, national and local level to provide care and support for all those affected by Alzheimer�s and other dementias.

jhartwig@semissourian.com

(573) 388-3632