Team Hopeful Connections at Hope Lodge

After we had finished our concert, a man asked me to replay my song so that he could dance with his wife, who was hearing impaired. It was a really touching moment and a turning point for me in the program and in my view of making a difference." - Lillian Hexter, Class of 2011 Arts Leader

Working with an organization for a year, one might assume the work would get easier because of the close relationships that are built over time. However, the situation was a bit different for the five arts leaders working at the AstraZeneca Hope Lodge – a facility that serves as a free of charge “home away from home” for patients seeking cancer treatment in the Boston area. Continually faced with the challenge of meeting and working with different people each time they arrived, the group used music to help bring people together and start a conversation.

Hopeful Connections organized and performed bi-weekly concerts, led conversations centered on the power of music and engaged guests in sing-a-longs and drum circles. Team members also recorded a CD of Hope inspired by the various people they met and stories they heard throughout the year, all in an effort to integrate music into the culture of hope and wellness that Hope Lodge aspires to create. A staff member at Hope Lodge noted, “You have inspired our guests to start organizing their own concerts here!”