Puzzles To Remember: Springbok Donates Their Special PuzzlesToRemember to Fifty Alzheimer’s Facilities

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.

Saturday, January 22, 2011

Springbok Donates Their Special PuzzlesToRemember to Fifty Alzheimer’s Facilities

By Max Wallack
Puzzles to Remember

I, personally, cannot thank Springbok Puzzles enough for stepping up to the challenge of creating puzzles made specifically to meet the needs of Alzheimer’s patients.

For several years, I had noticed the dearth of puzzles with low piece counts, large piece size, and colorful, serene, memory-provoking, and non-childish images. When I explained this situation to Springbok Puzzles, early in 2010, their President, Mr. Steve Pack, responded, “We can, and we will get this done.” No stranger to philanthropy, Mr. Pack remained true to his word.

For close to a year, I worked together with Springbok Puzzles. They took into account everything I told them about what kinds of puzzles would be most helpful to Alzheimer’s patients. They involved me in the choice of piece counts, piece sizes, and images. The resulting product has received glowing reviews from individual Alzheimer’s caregivers as well as larger Alzheimer’s caregiving facilities.

Springbok invested in new puzzles making equipment and dies to produce the puzzles, and they did it entirely at their own expense. They produced a quality product at a very reasonable price.

That would have been enough to help many people. However, now Springbok is going even further. Last week, Springbok donated and sent out Springbok’s PuzzlesToRemember to 50 Alzheimer’s care facilities. Among these 50 facilities, were 41 facilities that care for our veterans with Alzheimer’s disease.

Springbok produces beautiful puzzles and possesses an equally beautiful sense of altruism.

Max Wallack is a student at Boston University Academy. His great grandmother, Gertrude, suffered from Alzheimer's disease. Max is the founder of PUZZLES TO REMEMBER. PTR is a project that provides puzzles to nursing homes and veterans institutions that care for Alzheimer's and dementia patients.