My involvement with Yolo Hospice (now YoloCares) began when I discovered they were screening the moving documentary Alive Inside at events throughout the year. At the first screening, I was surprised to find a dance lesson paired with the film. A peer-reviewed Oxford University study demonstrated that movement and music can stimulate memory in dementia patients. I was captivated by how it activated memory, and needed to keep coming back.

What followed was a broader documentation of the organization's community programming — film screenings, end-of-life education covering Advanced Care Directives and POLST (Physician Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment) forms, tools that give individuals a cohesive framework for their final wishes and relieve families of impossible decisions made under grief and already stressful time.

I was also present for a defining moment in the organization's story: the 2018 merger with WeCare, and the birth of YoloCares.