The Longest Day to raise funds to fight Alzheimer's

Local home health care business Angel Care is hosting The Longest Day Saturday in Havre to raise money for the Montana chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association of America.

“It will be a good one,” Angel Care owner Angela (McGillivray) Haberger said.

The longest day of the year is actually Friday, but Angel Care is holding the event Saturday so more people will be able to attend, Haberger said. The event will be raising money for the Alzheimer’s Association to help fund trainings, support groups and studies.

She added that she is a facilitator for the Alzheimer’s Association and runs a support group monthly, every fourth Tuesday of the month at the Havre-Hill County Library from 5:30 to 7 p.m.

She said that the Alzheimer’s Association approached her and asked if her company would like to be part of the longest day of the year event. Across the state, through the weekend, the longest day celebrations will be held.

“We decided to jump in,” she said.

The Longest Day fundraisers are held around the world to raise awareness and funds to fight Alzheimer’s, the association website said.

Havre’s celebration will be from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. in Pepin Park and will have several events throughout the day free for the community. From 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. there will be kids activities, which includes a castle bouncy house, a rock painting competition and other activities for kids.

From 4 to 10 p.m. vendors’ booths will be set up.

Haberger added that more than 15 vendors had already signed and hopefully this week more sign up.

From 4 to 7 p.m. Bullhook BBQ will do a pig roast, roasting a whole pig, for the community picnic. Children ages 3 and younger can eat for free. It will be $5 a plate for children older than 3 and $7 a plate for adults. The community picnic will be held in the St. Jude Parish Center, across Seventh Avenue from Pepin Park.

All proceeds will go to the Alzheimer’s Association, she said.

The event will also have a DJ, Courtney Harris of Chinook, performing from 5 to 9 p.m., she said. She added that she has also rented out the Parish Center for events in case the weather is bad and will hold a silent auction throughout the day inside of the building.

She said they are still accepting donations from companies throughout the week, collecting items for the silent auction or checks made out directly to the Alzheimer’s Association. She added that she will be speaking to a number of businesses this week before the event.

“We’ve got a good amount started, but I definitely need to get some more for the silent auction,” she said.

Haberger said that she is excited for the event and to raise money for the association as well as support.

Angel Care, which has 25 employees and recently opened a new office in Helena, deals with a number of Alzheimer’s patients on the Hi-Line.

“We are working day in and out with clients and families that are suffering with this disease,” she said. “There’s so much that small communities can do to pitch in and do their part to help for the support of the Alzheimer’s Association, a lot of outreach needs to happen.”

She added that many people are unaware of the local chapter of the association and she wants the community to learn about it and get inspired to get involved.

Angel Care in the past three years has doubled in number of employees as well as clients, many of them suffering from Alzheimer’s, she said. Her company mostly performs respite care for family members who are caretakers for their loved ones.

She added that the monthly support meeting is also open to anyone who is a caretaker for a loved one, not exclusive to Alzheimer’s patients.

Haberger said that the goal for Saturday’s event is to raise $1,600, but would love to see that number doubled.

“We’ve got events for all ages,” she said, adding that if the fundraiser goes well they want to hold it annually.

Havre is a smaller area, but the association may be able to increase its presence if it knows it has community support, she said, adding that in the future Havre could have runs or other fundraisers.

For more information contact Haberger at 390-1551. to make a donation people, can contact her or drop off a donation at either the Angel Care office at 124 Fifth Ave. or the Havre Area Chamber of Commerce office next door.

“Come out and enjoy the day,” she said.