The chairs of AWARE Affair 2024, Angie Carpenter, Dr. Kamilia Smith, and Lacey Young, all Lakewood neighbors, set out to wow guests from start to finish. The crowd came for a good time but left with a great one.

“We’re all here together, and we all have a story to tell.” Smith shared with partygoers her mother’s Alzheimer’s diagnosis at age 54, and that while the 18-year struggle that took her mother was heartbreaking, “She taught me to live and to dream.”

Guests enjoyed a barbecue buffet, boot shines, photo sets, and silent and live auctions. One of the night’s highlights was the auctioning of four of the popular Purple Jackets honoring Kim McDavid, the late wife of David McDavid, which raised $20,000.

“She would be so proud of this party,” McDavid said, surrounded by men wearing the jackets. “These are Kim’s Purple Coats of Hope.”

Choosing the Breckenridge Band as entertainer proved providence, according to co-chair Lacey Young: “We looked at a lot of bands. These guys wanted to know about the event and the cause, not just dates and budgets. It turned out that their band has a connection to Alzheimer’s.”

For band member Steve Woodall, this event connected everyone in the room. “We all have family members impacted by Alzheimer’s or dementia,” he said, pointing to his band. “It hits home for us. We love events where we’re pulling people together. From the stage, we’re looking at folks having fun, yes. But we’re also seeing people who have come together to create awareness and raise money to do something meaningful, important.”

Another reason Lacey Young said they chose the Breckenridge Band was their crowd interaction: “They said they like to integrate line dancing and demonstrations in their sets to engage the crowds. It sounded like—and was—such fun!”

Steve Woodall: “Often at events we play, the participants are strangers to each other. It gets folks dancing and then talking. It’s what we specialize in. And for a cause like this, that’s what you want—people having fun, making friends and connections, sharing stories.”

 

For more information about AWARE Dallas, go to www.awaredallas.org