Meet Daily Point of Light Award honoree Grace Sun. Read her story, and nominate an outstanding volunteer or family as a Daily Point of Light.
At 15, during the loneliest days of the pandemic, Grace Sun sat down at her piano and began playing over Zoom for isolated older adults. That small gesture became a global cause. Today a junior at Wellesley College, Grace is the founder and president of Melodies for Remedies, a student-run 501(c)(3) that channels the healing power of music and the performing arts to seniors, individuals with chronic illness, and patients living with Alzheimer’s and dementia.
The spark came earlier, at an impromptu talent show at a senior home across from her high school. When the residents clapped wildly for teenagers — overjoyed simply to share in music — even when they made mistakes, Grace, a classically trained pianist, saw her art transform into a bridge to people living in isolation.
“If there’s a vision that you have for whatever you are pursuing, the vision will pull you forward.”
What began with one student now spans 500+ members across dozens of high schools, nearly 20 universities, and five countries, who have delivered more than 10,000 hours of music through monthly concerts, one-on-one sessions, and dementia awareness initiatives, raising over $5,000 for Alzheimer’s research.
An aspiring physician fluent in three languages, Grace has published research in Music and Medicine and earned the Barron Prize and the Reagan Leadership Medal. Since Alzheimer’s has no cure yet, she keeps showing up with music, uplifting one senior at a time.
Do you want to make a difference in your community like Grace? Find local volunteer opportunities.