Local choir receives La Crosse Community Foundation grant; still needs more support

April 21, 2023

By La Crosse Community Foundation

The La Crosse Community Foundation today announced a grant to help improve the quality of life for people with dementia. The Giving Hearts Choir will receive $2,500 to help with continuing operations and hopes the community will match it.

The Giving Hearts Choir is for people in the early to middle stages of memory loss and their caregivers. In addition to boosting memory, Giving Hearts helps build community and reduce the social isolation that often comes with a diagnosis of Alzheimer’s.

“Most importantly,” said Choir Director Ruth Kapanke, “it’s fun! It’s an opportunity for people with Alzheimer’s to experience joy and bring joy to our audiences. It brings purpose and celebrates what people with dementia can still do.”

The Giving Hearts Choir comprises 40 people with dementia and their caregivers, who perform several times a year in the community. In addition to three annual concerts, the choir also performs at Rotary Lights, area churches, weddings and funerals, community events and more.

“Research studies about music and the brain are pretty compelling,” said Jamie Schloegel, chief executive officer at La Crosse Community Foundation. “They show that singing improves mood and produces memories that help self-understanding and identity. And it’s an activity that allows people with memory loss to continue learning and enjoying friends when those basic human wants are out of reach elsewhere.”

If community members would like to support the choir, they can give to the choir’s listing in the La Crosse Community Foundation’s giving catalog at lacrossegivingcatalog.com.