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Every year since 2005, The Children’s Museum has recognized incredible youth who have impacted their communities with extraordinary service. The Power of Children Awards, inspired by the Power of Children: Making a Difference exhibit, awards these winners with a partial university scholarship to IUPUI, UIndy, or Butler University along with a $2,000 grant to continue their philanthropic projects.
We’re highlighting each winner with a further look into the service projects they’ve built to transform their community. Today’s winner is Rahil Thanawala, who has developed tools and advocated for people with Alzheimer's Disease.
Name: Rahil Thanawala
Grade: 9
City: Fishers, IN
Project: TheSnapLink
Rahil’s grandmother was slowly losing the ability to remember her family due to Alzheimer’s Disease. A majority of Rahil’s family lives abroad, and in order to help his grandmother remember those family members, he developed magnetic picture puzzles and flash-cards with their photos to condition his grandmother’s cognitive abilities. In his application essay, he wrote:
From the very start, my grandmother’s cognitive skills, communication, and memory improved. While playing the game, she is happier, engages in conversations, talks about her past, and tells me stories about the family.
Rahil wanted to start manufacturing his product, but ran into problems with patient privacy issues. Instead, he turned to advocate for photo and music therapy, using his product as an example.
Alzheimer’s disease affects 44 million people and there is no proven cure, also nearly 60 million Americans will develop this disease by 2050. Thus, for now, therapy is the best solution.
Since his entrance into advocacy, Rahil has traveled between Indiana and Ohio to hold events showcasing photo and music therapy. He has spoken to over 150 caregivers, doctors, research scientists and family members in hopes to influence their efforts in photo and music therapy. Furthermore, Rahil has taken advantage of social media channels to spread awareness and has launched TheSnapLink mobile app for free for those wanting to use his practices to help their own family members struggling with Alzheimer’s.
Rahil plans to use his award to train at least 100 more caregivers and therapists to further spread awareness and usability of his app. The funding will also allow him to donate mobile devices to nursing homes for use of TheSnapLink app. He plans to travel to Florida soon, where the aged population is greater, to speak and encourage on photo and music therapy for Alzheimer’s patients.
Congratulations, Rahil. And thank you for your efforts to make memories last for families everywhere.
