By Rich Osborne
Eight years ago, my buddy Karen Dale came up to me and said “Rich, you have got to come out next Tuesday afternoon and sing and play guitar with this group of musicians at 1:30 at the Vashon Community Care Center (VCCC). We have a sing-along for folks living with Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s Diseases. Any kind of dementia.“
I responded, “I would love to, but I work on Tuesdays. I don’t have time to take off for this.”
She replied, “So come anyway.”
I grimaced and said, “I’ll try.”
She said, “Don’t try. Just come. It will be perfect for you.”
I responded, “Okay.” And so I went. And so it began.
The premise is simple. Sing along with folks with memory issues. Sing the music we learned when we were kids. That music will bring these folks back from wherever they have drifted off to. It works. Every time. Like clockwork. Every week on Tuesday at 1:30 p.m., Music Mends Minds happens at the Vashon Senior Center. Clang, clang, clang, goes the trolley. Ding, ding, ding goes the bell. Sing, sing, sing go our heartstrings. We sing and sing and sing. We are doing mental pushups to keep our brains in shape.
The first time I came to MMM, I met our Fearless Leader, Amy Huggins. Her husband died of early-onset Alzheimer’s disease. Amy vowed to change things. To do everything in her power to end the scourge of Alzheimer’s.
Amy met Carol Rosenstein, who had a similar experience with her husband, a gifted jazz pianist. Carol gathered a group with similar challenges, and MMM was born. They started a band in Los Angeles, The Fifth Dementia. Amy decided to start a Vashon MMM. The Island Rockers.
A Rotarian, Amy spoke to her Rotary brothers and sisters. The Vashon Rotary Club immediately supported this project. They donated the funds and labor to assemble the songbooks. MMM started at the Lutheran Church, then moved to the VCCC. Shortly after this, I joined up. Soon after that, I joined Rotary as well.
After a few months, Amy told us. “I am burning out. Week after week is too much. I want to use my energy to start more MMM clubs. I need someone else to lead the band.” Long story short, I volunteered. Seven years later, I am still here. But to me, Amy will always be “Fearless Leader.”
I have so many stories to tell. Like the time I was standing in line at US Bank to make my weekly business deposit. A woman came up to me, “You there!”
I looked around. She barked, “Guitar Guy!” I had never been called that before, but I nodded. She said, “I just want you to know that when he comes and sings with you is the only time I hear my husband’s voice all week.” She then gave me a rib-cracking hug and said, “Thank you.” We cried.
I melted and whispered to God. “I’m in. For as long as you need me.”
When COVID hit, VCCC closed for several weeks. MMM came back. Singing out in the garden. Rain or shine. When VCCC closed down, I called my friend Catherine Swearingen and asked her if we could move to the Vashon Senior Center. She replied, “Of course, Rich. Next Tuesday work for you?”
People told me, “Changing location is a big deal. You will have to start from scratch. What will you do if nobody comes?” I replied, “I will practice on my guitar. I never have enough time to practice.” We restarted, inviting the rest of the band. Ina Oppinger came the first week, with her ukulele. Pamela Godt came the next week, with her violin. I tell people, “I have worked with a lot of fiddlers. Pamela is a violinist.” She is a pleasure to play music with. She is devoted to MMM. She travels quite often, but every Tuesday that she is on Vashon, she is with us.
I am incredibly grateful to all our supporters. I have people who come up and say “Where do I pay/donate?” I respond, “MMM is free. If you want to help financially, you can donate to Vashon Rotary Club, earmarked for MMM.”
I do not take a salary, stipend, or honorarium of any sort. It is my joy to do this. Taking money changes things, and not always for the better. I’m doing fine financially.
We have roughly 50 people in our MMM family. Everyone can’t come every week. People have lives, kids, grandkids, medical appointments off-Island, vacations, the thousand things that make up our lives. Vashon MMM averages 15 to 20 singers attending every week. MMM has now gone worldwide, with over 50 clubs in a dozen countries. But Vashon was the first to recreate LA’s success. (We’re #2! We’re #2!)
At this point, I must say, “God Bless the Vashon Senior Center.” They are our rock and our foundation. I am so grateful for their continued support.
And Vashon Rotary. My service family of positive, successful men and women who, when I ask for help, check their egos at the door and say, “Absolutely, Rich. How can we advance the mission?” BTW, if you need a service club, please check out Vashon Rotary. They are amazing.
So there it is. If you have anyone in your life who is drifting, bring them over. It’s our weekly miracle, 1:30 every Tuesday. As we walk in, the clouds part. The sun shines down on us as we come out to play and sing.
Come join us, won’t you?
