Over 200 people gathered at Marco Island’s Veteran’s Park recently to celebrate, honor, and support two vital organizations. “Remember Paradise” and “MyMemoryWorx,”who joined together to raise funds to aid in dementia awareness and care.
For full-time Marco resident Jordan Kraley, the young founder of Remember Paradise, her journey was a deeply personal one. Her late mother Carol suffered from dementia, and having lived through this on a daily basis, it inspired Jordan to launch a non-profit organization that would help other families like hers feel seen, supported, and embraced by their community.
For Kelly Willenborg, a Brain Health Gerontologist, Music Interventionist, Philanthropist for Neuro Programs, and seven-month-per-year Marco resident, the science of bringing memories to the forefront through music has become one of her many philanthropic endeavors. MyMemoryWorx non-profit isjust one of the results.
The collaboration of these two women, one younger and one older, happened by chance. Jordan was posting about her mom’s celebration of life event, looking for sponsors and/or donors, and after being rejected by several others, Jordan was surprised by a call from Kelly saying she’d love to help.
“I felt that Jordan’s non-profit and mine were a perfect match,” commented Kelly.
Kelly’s “Healing Headset” program offers an all-in-one Bluetooth®/MP3/WAV Music Play headset that provides a high-quality music listening experience with no wires to untangle or batteries to replace. The headsets come with a charging cable, a headphone cable, and an optional built-in micro SD card and card reader.
“People with dementia struggle to recall memories from long ago, so when they hear the music of their youth, the brain triggers vivid, long forgotten recollections, ”continued Kelly.
Kelly launched MyMemoryWorx in 2010 when she became invested in the idea that music had the capacity to reawaken the souls of people with dementia. She purchased hundreds of Alive Inside music headsets to donate to individual seniors, assisted living, nursing homes, and memory care and Alzheimer’s resource organizations. Thus, Healing Headsets was born.
According to Jordan, the roots of Remember Paradise trace back to a simple yet profound idea.
“Everyone deserves to hold onto the beauty of their cherished moments, even as time and memory slip away,” she said. “I’ve been inspired not only by my own personal loss but also by the stories of others who have been impacted by their loved one’s dementia.”
Turning her grief from losing her mother at such a young age into a program that helps others just came naturally to Jordan.
“I’ve been doing event planning for the last five years,” she said. “Launching Remember Paradise gave me a chance to support and uplift those people impacted by dementia through a community gathering.”
At the end of the January Celebration of Life event, Jordan pulled her own surprise by giving the $1,700 in donations to Kelly’s MyMemoryWorx organization so that she could purchase more Healing Headsets to donate to seniors with dementia.
“Jordan’s surprise donation to MyMemoryWorx helped me purchase 40 more headsets to load up with music and give to people living at home with dementia,” said Kelly.
To learn more about future events, the mission of Remember Paradise, or to contribute to this worthy non-profit, follow Jordan on Instagram at @RememberParadise2024 or email her atwww.RememberParadiseFL@gmail.com.
Know someone with memory loss who could benefit from Healing Headsets? You can order a Healing Headset here: www.mymemoryworx.org/music-awakening-at-home or for more information about Kelly’s dementia work, log onto: www.mymemoryworx.org. There is no charge for a headset or for shipping in the Continental U.S. We welcome donations so that we can reach others who may be in need.
“By embracing our shared humanity, we can ensure that paradise is a place everyone can hold onto—even if only for a moment,” concluded Jordan.
