Out in the community — senior centers, leadership programs, and press from across Northeast Ohio and beyond.
Our Journal
A scrapbook of the moments, partners, and stories that have carried Memory Mat forward.
2024–2026 · New York City & Beyond
Alzheimer’s Association — Junior Board of NYC
From 2024–2026, Ava Thomas, the Alzheimer’s Association Junior Board of NYC, and fellow volunteers and donors have advanced the Association’s mission of fighting for a world without Alzheimer’s and other dementia. The images feature the 2024 Manhattan Walk to End Alzheimer’s, 2025 Memories in Bloom gala, 2025 Fork It Alzheimer’s fundraiser, 2025 Imagine Benefit gala, 2025 Manhattan Walk to End Alzheimer’s, 2026 National Leaders Summit (Anaheim, CA), 2026 Pet Mascot Contest (featuring Ava’s Chester the Cat), and 2026 Memories in Bloom gala. Ava is also a Community Educator for the Alzheimer’s Association, and has presented to groups including NYU Latin Indigenous Native Health Equity Network, Northeast Business Group on Health, and Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center’s Abolishing Barriers and Limitations for Everyone (ABLE) employee resource network.
2024–2025 · New York City
Memory Mat in New York City
Memory Mats were distributed as crafts at MSK, Bryant Park, the New York Public Library Columbus Branch, and Encore 49 retirement home.
2021 · Yale Alumni Association Webinar
Yale College Community Builders
Ava Thomas ’22 presented Memory Mat Inc. alongside Jacob Cramer ’22 (Love for Our Elders) and Ariel Horowitz ’19, ’20 MusM (The Heartbeat Music Project) in “Support for Seniors: A Conversation with Yale College Community Builders,” a webinar hosted by the Yale Alumni Association on March 4, 2021.
February 2017 · Cleveland, Ohio
Accelerate 2017: Citizens Make Change
Memory Mat was a semi-finalist in the Accelerate 2017 competition presented by the Cleveland Leadership Center, competing in the “Quality of Life” category and earning a $2,000 grant toward its creation.
On WKYC’s Golden Opportunities, Ava Thomas shared the story behind Memory Mat and how it’s used in nursing homes and senior centers to spark conversation and connection.
Ava Thomas joined fellow young entrepreneurs on 90.3 WCPN ideastream for a conversation about products and services — including Memory Mat — driving change across Northeast Ohio.
Chesterland, Ohio
West Geauga Senior Center
Memory Mat traveled to the West Geauga Senior Center, where volunteers helped seniors create, decorate, and laminate their very own Memory Mats.
Geauga County, Ohio
Geauga County Department on Aging
At the Geauga County Department on Aging, senior citizens enjoyed sharing their stories and photographs as volunteers helped them create their own Memory Mats.
