College Student’s Radio Drive Benefits St. John’s Home Residents
Diana Russo knows how important music can be to older adults, particularly those living with Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias. Diana—an experienced flutist and current senior at St. John Fisher College—has been perfoming for men and women living in senior communities for most of her life and has seen the joy music can bring.
“Music is proven to help relieve the stress and agitation associated with the symptoms of Alzheimer’s,” Diana told St. John Fisher news in an October article. “Allowing these individuals to have access to a soothing interactive experience in the comfort of their rooms will help limit the challenges they face on a daily basis.
With that knowledge in mind and her familiarity with St. John’s Home (her late grandfather Anthony lived on the Daisy neighborhood), Diana partnered with a local radio station to launch a campaign to gather new or used radios to donate to residents here at St. John’s Home.
Through Diana’s efforts, nearly two dozen radios donated by listeners of Jazz 90.1 FM were delivered on Thursday to be distributed to residents at St. John’s Home. Station Manager Rob Linton was pleased with the response from listeners, mentioning that one out-of-town listener purchased a handful of new radios from a local retailer specifically for this initiative. He also praised Diana for her passion and follow-through on this project.
St. John’s would like to thank Diana and Jazz 90.1 FM for their generosity!