Arbor Rose carnival raises money for Alzheimer’s Association
Grace McRae, a freshman undecided major and forward on the women’s basketball team, works the cotton candy machine and prepares a stick of the purple treat Sunday during the Arbor Rose Adult Day Care and Memory Care Home of Charleston carnival. McRae said she liked working the cotton candy machine even though her fingers got a little sticky.
July 17, 2017
For Tonya Green, director of the Arbor Rose Adult Day Care and Memory Care Home of Charleston, raising money for the Alzheimer’s Association comes naturally.
The staff of Arbor Rose is now one step closer to reaching their $1,500 goal for the organization after raising money at their first summer carnival on Sunday.
Families of Arbor Rose residents, community members and volunteers from Eastern’s women’s volleyball and basketball team all braced high temperatures to have fun at the carnival and show support for the Alzheimer’s Association.
Green, the director of Arbor Rose, said it took a good team to put the carnival together.
Although she does not know yet how much was raised at the carnival, Green did say there is a possibility of doing another event.
This includes a potential “18th Street Party” to meet the Memory Care Home’s yearly fundraising goal.
Maria Brown, an intern at Arbor Rose and a member of Eastern’s volleyball team, came up with the idea for the carnival.
Maria Brown, an intern at Arbor Rose Adult Day Care and Memory Care Home of Charleston, gets ready to sing a song Sunday during the homes carnival event. Brown came up with the idea to host a carnival in order to raise money for the Alzheimer’s Association.
“I’m happy and sad that it is already over,” Brown said. “I thought it was a success.”
During the carnival, families sang along to melodies from years past while children ran around playing carnival games and stuffing their faces with purple cotton candy.
Ava Seaton, a five-year-old from Seaton, eats cotton candy Sunday during a carnival hosted by the Arbor Rose Adult Day Care and Memory Care Home of Charleston. The carnival was an effort to raise money for the Alzheimer’s Association.
“I think everyone had fun and all the (volleyball and basketball players) did too,” Brown said.
Green said carnival participants still enjoyed themselves despite the heat, especially on the Memory Care Home’s porch and in the shade.
As of right now, the carnival is not an annual event.
However, Brown wishes to continue the legacy that she created.
“I think if we make it an annual thing it will build up more and more each year,” Brown said.
Zharia Lenoir, a sophomore kinesiology major and a shooting guard on the women’s basketball team, helped run the food and cotton candy tent.
She said it felt good knowing she was able to help out.
“When we got our message that we were coming to help we were all kind of excited to help out and help the community where we can,” Lenoir said, eating the cotton candy that stuck to her fingers. “I feel good about helping out and raising money for different causes and events.”
Analicia Haynes can be reached at 581-2812 or achaynes@eiu.edu.
