Last week, Elk Lake came alive with purple lights, beach games, ice cream, music, and memories — all in support of a cause that hits home for far too many Western Oklahomans. Organized by the Western Oklahoma Alzheimer’s Collaborative (WOAC), the June-long campaign wrapped up its biggest week of the year with a high-energy community event, heartfelt stories, and a renewed commitment to fight for families impacted by Alzheimer’s.
“We are here to share Alzheimer’s awareness,” said Julie Western, WOAC Vice President. “Paint the Town Purple Week is the third week of June. We work with the Alzheimer’s Association of Oklahoma Chapter with the Longest Day fundraiser, which is during the summer solstice — the longest day of the year — which helps represent how every day is the longest day for someone fighting Alzheimer’s.”
WOAC’s signature event — the “Dancing Through the Decades Beach Party” — took place Friday night at Elk Lake. Families from across the region gathered to swim, play volleyball, compete in a homemade ice cream contest, and take part in the Remembrance Walk.
“We just invited everyone to come out and have fun for a great cause,” Julie said. “It was fun for the whole family.”
TOURNAMENT ENTRY FEES HELPED RAISE LOCAL FUNDS: - Volleyball (4v4): $40 per team - Beginner Cornhole: $30 per team - Competitive Cornhole: $40 per team - Ice cream entry: $20 - Ice cream tasting/judging: $5 — and yes, you could sample as many flavors as you wanted. “Five bucks, I get 50 tastes?” someone joked. “Exactly,” Julie replied with a grin.
In response to community feedback from previous years, WOAC spread activities throughout June instead of packing everything into one week. “Last year, the only positive constructive criticism we received was, ‘We want to do all of the things, but we can’t afford to do everything in one week.’ So we came up with a plan to do Purple Pop-Ups all month long.”
These pop-ups were part of WOAC’s Shop Local Share Awareness initiative, designed to boost foot traffic to small businesses while also sharing educational resources and support options for families affected by Alzheimer’s. “It’s been a very busy month, but it’s been a lot of fun,” Julie said. “I’ve met a lot of really cool new people in the area that are affected by Alzheimer’s that we didn’t realize.”
According to the Alzheimer’s Association of Oklahoma: - 1 in 3 seniors dies with Alzheimer’s or another dementia - As of 2024, 70,500 Oklahomans are living with Alzheimer’s - More than 108,000 unpaid caregivers help support them - 68.2% of those caregivers have their own chronic health conditions “So we have older adults taking care of their parents or aunts and uncles or older relatives,” Julie said. “It really is a family affair.”
WOAC’s first event was held in 2018 at Ackley Park. “We had around 200 people show up… We were hoping [for] 50 to 100 people,” Julie recalled. “It was such a good turnout that we decided, let’s just do it again.”
That first event lit a spark. “It ignited something in all of us that we didn’t realize we were missing… that we were passionate about, that we wanted to continue to help the efforts with.”
Since then, the campaign has only grown, with more families, more supporters, and more visibility every year. “Even if they haven’t been directly affected by the disease itself, the amount of love and support that Western Oklahoma has shared… has just been wonderful.”
WOAC operates on an 80/20 split, keeping 80% of funds raised in the community. “We keep 80% of the funds local for our support group, community education, financial aid assistance, and our scholarship,” Julie explained.
Scholarships are currently available at Elk City, Canute, and Merritt High Schools, and through the Western Technology Center’s CNA program. “Our goal with that is to create helpers that will eventually be helping those potentially with the Alzheimer’s disease or just the aging population itself.”
The remaining 20% supports the Alzheimer’s Association’s Longest Day campaign, including national research, training, and a 24-hour support hotline.
WOAC is already preparing for its next major collaboration with the Elk City Rodeo Board for Labor Day weekend. “They changed their Sunday night to purple,” Julie said. “It is a Champions Wear Purple for Alzheimer’s Awareness Night.”
The group also participates in parades, health fairs, and education events year-round — and they’re always looking for more help. “We’re all volunteers. None of us are paid. So the more volunteers we have, the better off we all are.”
To volunteer, donate, or learn more, visit www.wocac. org, find them on Facebook at Western Oklahoma Alzheimer’s Collaborative Team Elk City, or contact Julie Western directly at 580-339-2984.
WOAC also hosts two free support groups: - 2nd Tuesday of each month at 6 p.m. – First Assembly of God, Elk City - 4th Tuesday of each month from 5–6 p.m. – Senior Life Solutions at Cordell Memorial Hospital From its first walk in 2018 to last week’s celebration at Elk Lake, the Western Oklahoma Alzheimer’s Collaborative continues to prove that even in hard times, this community shows up — with heart, with humor, and with purple everything.
