Sophie Lane and Amber Cecil are memory makers. The senior and junior University of Mississippi students are co-presidents of student organization Memory Makers and have been passionately volunteering and making a difference in Oxford’s elderly community for years now.
Memory Makers is an organization on the UM campus that does just what Lane and Cecil are doing – bringing joy and community to residents of The Pinnacle, an assisted living facility in Oxford. The group practices something dubbed memory care – which is engaging with patients that have Alzheimer’s and dementia by providing them with company. Sometimes, this leads to close connections between the memory maker and the Pinnacle patient.
“We had one resident named Miss Rachael. She was like our grandma; we loved her so much. We would decorate her room for Christmas, Valentine’s — everything,” Lane said.
The program care is not just beneficial to the residents. Volunteers have also experienced personal growth and transformation. They have learned how to interact with seniors and developed valuable communication skills. Their experiences have helped them overcome challenges and relieve stress during difficult times.
“It’s fun. It gives you a different perspective. I love hearing where they’ve come from and how their life is today,” Cecil said. “It makes me wonder how much I’ll live through and what stories I’m going to tell when I’m their age. It makes me want to cherish all the time I have.”
Lane founded the organization, spurred by spending her high school years volunteering at assisted living centers.
With nearly 500 members, Memory Makers has grown tremendously since it first started. Officially starting the club a year ago, Lane and Cecil have worked diligently to recruit members to make a positive impact in the Oxford community.
Despite the high number of members, the duo stated that recruitment is their biggest challenge.
“It’s hard (because) you have a lot of members in the GroupMe, but then you have to translate that to the members who actually show up,” Lane said.
Much of the group’s recent growth has happened by reaching out to other student organizations, sharing their mission and the joys of working with the elderly. This approach has significantly boosted membership and engagement.
The future of Memory Makers looks bright. Their vision includes expanding to multiple assisted living centers, aiming to support more seniors in the community. They are also working on fundraising efforts to provide additional aid to residents who may require financial assistance for their needs.
Lane and Cecil hope to create a strong foundation to ensure the organization continues to thrive, even after they graduate. They want to instill the same passion, dedication and sense of purpose they have found through their volunteer work.
“We’re not just something you sign up for for community service hours. We really want to make a difference,” Cecil said.
