FAYETTEVILLE - He got up in front of everybody and made a speech. People were moved, tears were flowing and a bucket was passed around, which many people threw cash in and even checks.

It wasn’t the ending of the popular film It’s a Wonderful Life, which so many watch at Christmastime. It was the conclusion of a previous Chilirhea, a friendly, competitive chili cook-off that raises funds for Alzheimer’s Arkansas and the national Alzheimer’s Association.

Cory Scott, founder of Chilirhea, came up with the idea for the event when he and his friends approachedthe end of their college years as a way to keep their fellow Razorbacks coming home, at least once a year.

“We drink a lot of beer and have a lot of fun, but we do … give our proceeds to Alzheimer’s [organizations],” Scott says. “I really liked Alzheimer’s Arkansas. The majority of the money we raise goes to them and the other goes to the association. We don’t take a penny, nothing that we do … we’ve never taken anything [for ourselves].”

For the first few years, the event was rather small and operated out of his home. First, Scott held it in the backyard along with his roommate and had three or four other people cooking. The next year the eventfell on a snow day, so they moved their six or seven teams into the garage to cook. By the year that they had 15 teams cooking, 80 people showed up. The next year 150 showed. That’s when they began searching for a bigger venue and a beneficiary.

A few of the original Chilirhea members had family members affected by Alzheimer’s and dementia, so they naturally gravitated toward that cause.

“The effect of Alzheimer’s was pretty big on my heart when we were doing [the event] and it still is,” Scott says.

His grandfather was the caretaker for his grandmother, who had Alzheimer’s for 13 years. Hisstrength and resolve in assuming the daily tasks of meeting her every need and not placing her in a nursing home was more than admirable to Scott, so he pledged to benefit an organization that supported the caregivers during their years of emotional strain and wear.

“Once the dementia sets in on a certain level, the person, the patient, they’re almost to the point that they can’t do anything, day-to-day activities,” Scott says. “Then it comes down to the caregiver.

“How do you respond to your spouse of 50 years that has Alzheimer’s and can’t even say your name anymore? How do you deal with feeding them? With doing all the things for them?”

Scott and his friends formed a board of directors and transformed Chilirhea into a philanthropic event in 2010, when they forged a partnership with Alzheimer’s Arkansas, an organization that benefits caregivers of Alzheimer’s patients. That first year they raised $6,500, which almost doubled to $12,000 the next year, $20,000 the following, and finally $32,000 last year. It caught the attention of the Alzheimer’s Association, a national organization that focuses on research of the disease, enhanced care for patients and promoting brain health. The new partnership benefits the organization through a fraction of the funds raised, and benefits Chilirhea by helping to expand their outreach.

This year’s theme is Chilirhea Olympics, since it will start shortly after the Winter Olympics begin. It will take place noon to 6 p.m. Feb. 8 at Fayetteville Town Center and will feature the chilis of 34 cooking teams and counting, beer from Little Rock’s Diamond Bear Brewing Co., a mustache competition, a silent auction, a wine pull, music by The Uncrowned Kings and keynote speaker Secretary of State Mark Martin. FOX 24 anchor Brad Reed isthe emcee for the afternoon, and the event will also feature star judges Jenn Bielema, KNWA sports anchor Aaron Peters and an athlete to be announced, as well as head judge Maudie Schmitt of Cafe Rue Orleans.

Tickets are $30 each, fees for cooking teams are $350, and all proceeds go toward Alzheimer’s Arkansas and Alzheimer’s Association. For more information, see facebook.com/chilirheacharity or call (501) 626-6563.

Northwest Profile, Pages 27 on 01/26/2014