Smiles were shining brightly at the home of Sheryl and Gary Wood as they hosted the recent announcement of AWARE’s 2026 grant recipients. AWARE North Texas is a nonprofit organization that empowers North Texans to rise above the challenges of Alzheimer’s and other dementias together.
The funds distributed were raised from supporters of AWARE, as well as funds from the AWARE Affair gala, Boots, Buckles and Brain Health last spring, which was chaired by Katie and Neal Doherty and Heidi and Cole Snadon. The Woods were presenting sponsors of the gala, as well as honorary chairs.
The announcement event was chaired by Mari Epperson and Sharon Ballew, and welcomed supporters and representatives from the 22 grant recipients. Janet Broyles, Vice-President, Grant Review, announced the recipients to a rousing round of applause as a ceremonial check for $403,000 was displayed, symbolizing the total amount of all grants disbursed in 2026. All funds raised stay in north Texas.
Janet said, “I think it is important for you to know our process, because we at AWARE take your donor dollars very seriously. Starting in January, we receive requests for funding. By March, our committee members begin personally visiting each applicant at their location to fully understand their work. Finally, in May, we meet to discuss each organization in detail to ensure we are getting the very best use of your contributions.
“What sets AWARE apart is our balanced approach. We know that research to end these diseases is crucial, but we also believe in walking alongside caregivers and patients right now. If you have ever been in the trenches with a loved one with Alzheimer’s or dementia, you know how difficult that journey is. Research for a cure does not help those people today. AWARE is proud to support organizations right here in the Dallas metroplex that improve lives immediately.
The recipients are listed below, along with a brief summary of “where the money goes.” For more information about AWARE North Texas and how to participate as a Friend of AWARE, which has many benefits, including events in private homes, educational lunches and more, visit the website at AWARENorthTexas.org and join us as We Rise Above Alzheimer’s Together!
2026 AWARE North Texas Grant Recipients
- Baylor Scott & White Health
- Bishop Arts Theatre Center
- Dallas Museum of Art and Nasher Sculpture Center
- Dallas Symphony Association, Inc.
- Dementia Care Warriors
- For Love & Art
- Friday Friends, a ministry of Wilshire Baptist Church
- Jewish Family Service of Dallas, Inc.
- Juliette Fowler Communities
- My Possibilities
- NorthPark Presbyterian Church
- Plano Symphony Orchestra
- Senior Attention
- Songs & Smiles
- Stomping Ground Comedy Theater & Training Center
- Texas Winds Musical Outreach
- The Center for BrainHealth at The University of Texas at Dallas
- The Senior Source
- The University of Texas at Dallas – Dr Chandramalika Basak
- The University of Texas at Dallas – Dr Michael Rugg
- Westminster Presbyterian Church
- Myrna D. Schlegel AWARE Scholarship Fund
Baylor Scott & White Health to support the Care and Support Specialist (CSS) role at the AT&T Memory Center, a non-reimbursable position that helps Alzheimer’s and dementia patients and their care partners navigate education, resources, emotional support, and community services. The program aims to strengthen local dementia care systems, reduce caregiver stress, and ensure families receive personalized guidance throughout the progression of memory disorders.
Bishop Arts Theatre Center to expand PatioLive!, a year-round arts and wellness program that brings live theater, music, storytelling, and interactive workshops directly into North Texas memory care and senior living facilities. The program serves older adults living with Alzheimer’s and other dementias by reducing social isolation, increasing cognitive stimulation, and improving emotional well-being through twice-weekly engagement opportunities.
Dallas Museum of Art and Nasher Sculpture Center to support “Meaningful Moments,” a free arts engagement program for individuals in the early to mid-stages of Alzheimer’s or related dementias along with their care partners. Through rotating sessions between the two museums, participants will engage in guided art experiences, hands-on creative activities, and social interaction designed to stimulate memory, foster connection and dignity, encourage self-expression, and improve quality of life for those navigating cognitive decline.
Dallas Symphony Association, Inc. to support DSO Cares, a free outreach program that brings live chamber music performances by Dallas Symphony musicians to memory care facilities, hospitals, senior living communities, and nonprofit sites across Dallas. The program focuses on improving well-being, reducing isolation, and supporting individuals living with Alzheimer’s and other dementias, while also serving caregivers and healthcare staff through high-quality, interactive musical experiences.
Dementia Care Warriors to support the 7th Annual REVIVE REFRESH Symposium for Dementia Caregivers, a one-day educational and wellness event in Southern Dallas. The symposium will provide dementia caregivers with expert-led training, wellness support, legal and financial guidance, community resources, and peer connection, with a focus on underserved care partners disproportionately impacted by Alzheimer’s disease. The program aims to reduce caregiver burnout, improve caregiving knowledge and confidence, and connect families to long-term support services through Dementia Care Warriors’ year-round programs.
For Love & Art to sustain and expand its “Celebrating the Art Experience” program, which uses trained facilitators called Art Angels to engage individuals living with dementia through guided conversations about museum art. The program addresses loneliness, cognitive decline, and the need for enrichment resources. For Love & Art aims to provide consistent, clinically informed, non-pharmacologic dementia care to underserved communities.
Friday Friends, a ministry of Wilshire Baptist Church, to support its twice-monthly respite program serving people with Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia and their care partners. The program provides structured social activities, therapeutic programming, and community-building to reduce isolation and improve quality of life for participants, while giving care partners four hours of much needed respite.
Jewish Family Service of Dallas, Inc. to support its Older Adult Services program, which provides year-round in-home and office-based counseling, case management, and daily living support for low-income North Texas seniors, particularly those affected by Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias. Using a whole-person care model, the program coordinates medical, mental health, caregiver, and social support services to help older adults remain independent, improve emotional and physical wellness, and reduce isolation.
Juliette Fowler Communities to expand its dementia-focused community outreach and engagement programs across Dallas through Dementia Friendly Dallas and a new Memory Café/Memory Choir initiative. The program aims to reduce stigma by training Dementia Friends, increase dementia awareness by establishing additional dementia-friendly faith communities and businesses, and improving quality of life for care partners and those living with dementia through socialization and music.
My Possibilities to launch and expand the eMPower Program, a specialized Alzheimer’s- and dementia-informed support program for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD), particularly those with Down syndrome who are at significantly higher risk for Alzheimer’s disease. The program will provide structured cognitive engagement, therapeutic activities, individualized support, and care partner resources to help participants remain connected to their community and maintain stability as cognitive decline progresses.
NorthPark Presbyterian Church to support Casa de Vida, a weekly dementia respite program that provides cognitive engagement and therapeutic activities for individuals with dementia while giving care partners much-needed relief. The program offers evidence-based services such as music therapy, yoga, memory exercises, and at-home activity kits, all delivered through a unique 1:1 volunteer-to-participant ratio and a fully fee-free model to ensure accessibility for all families.
Plano Symphony Orchestra to support “Healing Notes for Seniors,” a music therapy–informed initiative serving older adults with Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias across North Texas. The program brings interactive musical experiences directly to memory care facilities, adult day centers, and hospitals, using familiar music and guided activities to improve cognitive engagement, emotional well-being, physical movement, and social connection while also supporting caregivers.
Senior Attention to expand its in-home respite care program for low-income family care partners caring for loved ones with dementia at home. The funding would provide weekly companion care scholarships, giving care partners temporary relief from the physical and emotional demands of round-the-clock caregiving.
Songs & Smiles to expand its free Alzheimer’s-focused memory café programming into Dallas County and distribute its Joyful Memories magazine across five North Texas counties. The project would provide monthly singalong and music bingo events for people living with Alzheimer’s and their care partners, while also supporting emotional connection, care partner engagement, and community awareness.
Stomping Ground Comedy Theater & Training Center to expand “Improv for Caregivers,” a therapeutic improv-based program that helps Alzheimer’s caregivers build communication skills, emotional resilience, and social connection through experiential workshops and support groups. Led by a licensed therapist, the program will offer free and donation-based workshops across North Texas, strengthen partnerships with physicians and memory clinics, and serve family care partners while reducing stress, improving communication confidence, and decreasing isolation.
Texas Winds Musical Outreach to support “Concerts for Older Adults with Memory Loss” program. The project provides free live professional music performances in memory care communities, nursing homes, hospitals, and assisted living facilities across North Texas, using music to reduce isolation, improve mood, stimulate memory, and encourage social engagement among older adults living with Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias.
The Center for BrainHealth at The University of Texas at Dallas to support research analyzing longitudinal data from the BrainHealth Project, a large ongoing study tracking cognitive health in adults. The project aims to identify subtle early signs of cognitive decline and Alzheimer’s risk before traditional screenings detect impairment, while also evaluating how factors like sleep, health conditions, lifestyle, and participation in brain health training influence long-term cognitive outcomes.
The Senior Source to support the Senior Companion Program, which provides dementia-informed companionship, care partner respite, volunteer training, and community education for older adults experiencing isolation and dementia-related challenges. The program aims to reduce loneliness and care partner stress through trained senior volunteers, while expanding dementia awareness through Dementia Live® experiences and ongoing staff education.
The University of Texas at Dallas – Dr Chandramalika Basak for research focused on developing machine learning–based digital tools to detect early signs of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and Alzheimer’s disease before symptoms become clinically apparent. The project will combine existing NIH-funded datasets with newly collected MRI, cognitive, and biomarker data from adults with MCI to build and validate predictive models that could improve early diagnosis and inform future digital therapeutics.
The University of Texas at Dallas – Dr Michael Rugg to study whether highly sensitive “memory precision” tests and brain imaging can detect the earliest signs of Alzheimer’s disease before symptoms appear. The project will examine cognitively healthy adults ages 65–80 using fMRI and structural brain scans to determine how subtle memory differences relate to changes in Alzheimer’s-vulnerable brain regions such as the hippocampus. Findings could help improve early diagnosis, track disease progression, and evaluate the effectiveness of future Alzheimer’s interventions.
Westminster Presbyterian Church to support “Making Memories,” a twice-monthly respite and enrichment program for individuals living with early- to mid-stage dementia and their care partners. The program provides cognitive, social, and therapeutic activities to improve mood and social connections, including neuro-music therapy, exercise, art, and intergenerational engagement with kindergarteners—while also offering care partners emotional support, connection, and relief from caregiving responsibilities, isolation and stress.
Myrna D. Schlegel AWARE Scholarship Fund to support scholarships for nursing students for their studies in gerontology, especially in the fields of Alzheimer’s and related dementias.
Source: Press Release
