Puzzles To Remember: A Big Thanks to DoSomething.org

Puzzles To Remember

PUZZLES TO REMEMBER is a youth led 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to enhancing the lives of individuals living with Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias through jigsaw puzzles, cognitive engagement, and social connection. Led by Executive Director Hailey Richman, Puzzles To Remember has distributed more than 236,000 puzzles valued at over $2 million to more than 5,000 memory care communities, nursing homes, veterans facilities, senior centers, and other organizations across all 50 states and 16 countries. Our programs have benefited more than one million people while diverting approximately 148 tons of puzzles from landfills through donation and reuse. Puzzles To Remember also promotes intergenerational connection through Puzzle Time, which brings young people together with individuals living with dementia for shared puzzle solving, conversation, and companionship. Our mission is to provide engaging and purposeful activities that promote connection, participation, and joy while enhancing the quality of life of those affected by dementia. Donate Puzzles If you have puzzles you would like to donate, please contact us at Puzzles2Remember@gmail.com. We will help identify a location where your puzzles can benefit individuals living with Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias. Donation acknowledgment letters are available upon request.

Tuesday, March 23, 2010

A Big Thanks to DoSomething.org

By Max Wallack
Puzzles to Remember

I want to give a big thanks to DoSomething.org for the American Express grant they gave me in November. I used the funds to purchase 126 puzzles.

The puzzles I purchased were 200 or fewer large pieces. It is very difficult to find this type of puzzle. Puzzles with 200 or fewer pieces are usually meant for children, and so they have young themes like SpongeBob or Dora. This makes finding puzzles for Alzheimer's patients quite difficult.

Through bargain shopping in stores and online, I was able to purchase the 126 puzzles. I included some of those puzzles in each of 45 shipments of puzzles that I sent out to veteran's homes that care for veterans with Alzheimer's disease.

I know those puzzles will be a great help to those patients!

DoSomething is a wonderful organization. It provides resources, seminars, grants, and encouragement to young people under the age of 25, encouraging them to DO SOMETHING to benefit society. They have a great website at www.DoSomething.org.

Thanks, DoSomething, for helping me help so many people!

Max Wallack is a student at Boston University Academy. His great grandmother, Gertrude Finkelstein, suffered from Alzheimer's disease. Max is the founder of PUZZLES TO REMEMBER , a 501(c.)3 charitable organization. PUZZLES TO REMEMBER is a project that provides puzzles to nursing homes and other institutions that care for Alzheimer's and dementia patients.