A couple of weeks ago, when the local DVD rental store closed down and sold off all its stock, my husband David went a bit bonkers and bought many (and I’m not saying how many!) DVDs for his movie library. David loves films and has been building up a collection of his favorite movies for the last few years. Many of the DVDs he bought were to replace the VHS tapes that occupied a considerable amount of room in the “movie cabinet,” and being more streamlines is a good thing if you’re trying to cut down on clutter. However, that left us with 40 or 50 VHS tapes sitting by the cabinet in need of a new home.

As anyone who has tried to donate VHS tapes already knows, this ancient movie format is not terribly desirable in most places. Most people get their movies from Netflix now (hence the demise of our DVD rental store), and those who collect movies, like David, prefer the DVD format. The only option for donation seemed to be the thrift store. I was getting myself ready to take them to Goodwill when I remembered Adriana and the Care Center she works for. I had met her earlier this year when I was writing an article about a local artist, Fawn Rogers, who had created light paintings to hang in the halls of the Alexandria Care Center in Hollywood. The idea was to bring light, nature and beauty into the lives of the residents who rarely go outside and have very few visits from friends and family. Adriana, the Activities’ Director, there facilitated this admirable project and when I met her, I saw why Fawn was so inspired to help brighten up the facility. Adriana is a bright, beautiful, energetic woman who has dedicated herself to enriching the last weeks, months and years of the lives of her patients. She does this through music, parties at the center and recently art on the walls of the rooms and corridors, thanks to Fawn.

Artist Fawn Rogers and Adriana at the Alexandria Care Center, Hollywood

I called her last week to ask if she would like a small library of VHS tapes and she responded with her usual enthusiasm, saying yes, some of her patients still have VHS tape players and would definitely enjoy them. So today, I drove there with a big box of tapes, was greeted with a huge smile and a “God bless you!” from Adriana. This caring woman brings with her a ray of sunshine when she enters their room, a blessing in the lives of her patients who have rather bleak and lonely daily lives. Hopefully, when she isn’t there for them, having a few good movies to watch will help cheer them up too.