Kenny Chesney, New Facilities Signal Music & Memory Expansion

 
Music & Memory, the non-profit "re-awakening" elders with Alzheimer's through music of their youth, has set an ambitious goal to collect one million iPods for the nation's 16,000+ nursing homes. Now, on the heels of Kenny Chesney recording a PSA on behalf of the program (watch here), Music & Memory is on their way to achieving that goal, expanding domestically and internationally and inspiring local offshoots.

• Music & Memory is now in 60+ facilities across 18 states and was recently adopted by eight new nursing homes nationwide, including facilities in Staten Island, NY, Orange, CA, Fort Gratiot, MI, Chatham, NJ, and Phoenix , AZ.

• The organization is inspiring local offshoots around the country. 16-year-old Saratoga Springs, NY high school student Emma Wyatt, for example, established the Generation Outreach club in her high school to collect and distribute pre-loaded iPods to local Alzheimer's and dementia patients. Read more here: http://bit.ly/WKHEh6

• The organization has expanded internationally to facilities in Canada, Holland, Australia and Israel.

Founded by Dan Cohen, a Long Island volunteer, social worker and former Department of Education consultant, Music & Memory began in 2008 when Cohen distributed 200 iPods in four New York City facilities and saw immediate benefits for the residents. 

iPods are being collected by Music & Memory on an ongoing basis. Click here to learn how to contribute:http://www.musicandmemory.org/give-an-ipod.html

http://www.musicandmemory.org/

https://www.facebook.com/MusicAndMemory
 
For more information on Music & Memory, please contact Rebecca Shapiro [rshapiro@shorefire.com] or Jon Bleicher [jbleicher@shorefire.com] at Shore Fire Media, 718.522.7171