Giving Voice is excited to announce that four Wisconsin communities have been awarded funding to launch new dementia-friendly choruses through our Rural Initiative:
 

• Vibrant Voices, Menomonie, WI

• Forget Me Nots, Black River Falls (Jackson County), WI

• Northern Lights, Shell Lake, WI

• Melody Lane Singers, Ashland, WI
   

These choruses will create welcoming spaces where people living with dementia, their care partners and members of the community can come together to sing, laugh, and build community. Singing together not only brings joy but also helps reduce isolation and strengthen connections for everyone involved.
 

“Every community—urban or rural—deserves a chorus that welcomes and uplifts people living with dementia and those who care for them,” said Eyleen Braaten, Executive Director of Giving Voice.
 

About the Rural Initiative

The Giving Voice Rural Initiative is expanding opportunities for communities across Minnesota and Wisconsin to start choruses where none currently exist. With seed funding, training, and mentorship, Giving Voice partners with local leaders to launch and sustain choruses. Together, we are building a movement that celebrates music, belonging, and joy for people living with dementia and their care partners.