We’re excited to announce the winner of our March, 2026 Matt Kurtz Kindness Grant for her wonderful kindness project. The grant was given by Matt’s Kindness Ripples On (MKRO), an organization that encourages acts of kindness by helping people who have ideas for kindness projects but lack the funding to follow through on those ideas.
Congratulations to Yashvi Rateshwar, our March, 2026 grant winner.
She will receive a grant to help fund her acts of kindness project!
Kindness in Harmony
Congratulations to Yashvi Rateshwar, our March 2026 grant winner.
Some people are born knowing exactly how they want to make the world better. Others discover it slowly, through moments that tug at their heart and refuse to let go. Yashvi Rateshwar’s (Oradell, NJ) story feels like a beautiful blend of both.
Yashvi began playing the piano at just five years old. Early on, she learned that music is more than notes and melodies, it’s connection. It’s healing. It’s a way to reach people when words fall short. As she grew older, that understanding deepened, especially through her work as a Girl Scout. For her Silver Award project, Yashvi combined her love of music with her commitment to service by creating “Music for the Developmentally Disabled,” teaching music to children and adults at Camp Acorn in Mahwah, New Jersey.
But it was during her volunteer work at a senior living home over the past eight years that Yashvi witnessed something that would change her path. Again and again, she saw how familiar songs, sometimes as simple as Mary Had a Little Lamb, sparked joy in seniors facing cognitive and emotional challenges.
Residents who were often quiet would smile. Some would sing along. Others would visibly respond, emotionally present in ways that felt almost miraculous.
Those moments stayed with her.
More than 55 million people worldwide are currently living with dementia, most commonly Alzheimer’s disease, and that number is projected to reach 139 million by 2050. Along with memory loss, many experience profound emotional isolation and loneliness. Yashvi recognized that this wasn’t just a medical issue; it was a deeply human one.
So she acted.
Yashvi founded Melodies4Memory, an initiative designed to bring music directly to seniors affected by neurodegenerative diseases. Through live performances and meaningful interaction, her program created moments of connection, joy, and memory recall for residents who are too often overlooked.
The impact was immediate and powerful. Seniors experienced reduced loneliness and increased engagement. At the same time, student musicians involved in the program developed empathy, leadership, and a deep sense of purpose. Kindness rippled outward, touching everyone involved.
What makes Yashvi’s work especially remarkable is that she didn’t stop at service; she measured impact. She administered mood surveys and Mini-Cog memory assessments before and after performances and researched the effects of music on individuals with neurodegenerative diseases.
Her findings were submitted to the International Young Researchers Conference, reflecting a rare combination of compassion, leadership, and intellectual curiosity.
Yashvi saw a genuine need, took initiative, and created a lasting, community-wide solution rooted in empathy and evidence. By using music to reduce loneliness and stimulate memory, she restored dignity, connection, and moments of joy to lives that desperately need them.
When we read Yashvi’s story, we were deeply moved, not only by all that she has done, but because Matt believed so strongly in the power of music to heal and connect. He would have loved what Yashvi is doing and believed passionately in her mission.
Yashvi is profoundly deserving of this grant, and her compassion is already changing countless lives.
This grant is given in honor of Matt Kurtz, (1985-2017), a young man whose personal philosophy was to live an honorable, compassionate and non-judgmental life. To give for the sake of giving, to expect nothing in return, to be aware of the world around him and to step in to help others without being asked whenever he saw the need. Matt believed in the ripple effect of a simple act of kindness – like a pebble dropped in water, it goes on and on. You can find out more about how Matt lived his life, examples of his many acts of kindness, big and small, and why this grant was created on MattsKindnessRipplesOn.com.
