Meet Eric Kolb | Executive Director

We had the good fortune of connecting with Eric Kolb and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Eric, how does your business help the community?
My wife, Sheryl, and I started Songs & Smiles to help families navigate the challenges of the Alzheimer’s journey. We know firsthand how tough it is to care for a loved one living with Alzheimer’s or any other type of dementia.

In 2020, we launched Songs & Smiles as a nonprofit organization with the mission of keeping families connected during the Alzheimer’s journey. We knew our experience and lessons learned could help others.

We use music to help people living with dementia better connect with family, friends, communities, and their own joy-filled memories. Our live shows and our online videos feature familiar songs and easy-to-read lyrics. I’ve presented more than 1,000 in-person singalongs, primarily at care homes here in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. In 2024, we expanded our impact by adding singalong leaders in other parts of the country, including Chicago, Pittsburgh, and Seattle.

We also publish Joyful Memories, a dementia-friendly magazine. This is a unique resource that has benefited many people all across the country. Thanks to grants from AWARE Dallas and the Alzheimer’s Foundation of America, we’ve been able to provide thousands of magazines to dementia care providers in the Dallas-Fort Worth area.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I can look back now and see how my whole career has prepared me for the work I do today as Executive Director of Songs & Smiles. I worked for many years in public relations and publishing, including positions at the Texas Rangers Baseball Club and ClubCorp (now Invited). That professional experience now ties together with my personal experience loving and caring for people living with dementia. We saw a need for a dementia-friendly magazine, and we realized I had the experience and connections necessary to create that resource. After a couple of years of research and planning, consulting with former colleagues in the publishing industry as well as with dementia care professionals, I created Joyful Memories magazine. Content is timeless and intergenerational. The magazine provides a comfortable and familiar experience, helping people living with dementia connect with memories and emotions. We have now published seven issues, with plans for many more. My previous work experience taught me everything I needed to know to write, edit, design, print, and distribute this valuable resource.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
If my best friend was visiting the area, I would invite him to come sing with me at local memory care homes. Our singalongs bring so much joy to residents, and it is a pleasure visiting with them. I hear wonderful stories and I share their heartfelt emotions.

When we weren’t singing, we’d spend a lot of time on Main Street in Grapevine. I love the collection of unique shops and restaurants right in the middle of the Metroplex.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
My wife, Sheryl, and I started Songs & Smiles. She is the behind-the-scenes visionary, and she now serves as the organization’s President.

We lost Sheryl’s grandmother, Olive, to Alzheimer’s in 2006. Then Sheryl’s mom, Trish, was diagnosed with memory loss in 2008 at the age of 68. We lost Trish to Alzheimer’s in 2019. Shortly after, Sheryl had the vision to launch Songs & Smiles as a nonprofit charitable organization.

Website: https://www.songsandsmiles.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/songs_and_smiles/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/songs-and-smiles/

Twitter: https://x.com/songssmiles

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/singersmiler/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@songssmiles

Other: Vimeo: https://vimeo.com/songsandsmiles

Image Credits
Brad Newton