Teen Brings Joy to Nursing Homes Through Song and Stories

When Trang Pham finished playing "Over the Rainbow" on the piano one Saturday morning, she didn't hear applause. Instead, a receptionist later told her that an elderly man had started crying because the song was the lullaby he once sang to his daughter.

Moments like these are why the 16-year-old Fort Worth musician started Kind-Acts, a service organization she founded after the pandemic. She performs at nursing homes, shares children's books with students, and uses art to bring people together.

The idea began with Trang's grandmother. When she sang traditional Vietnamese songs to her after the pandemic, her grandmother softened at the familiar melodies. It was the first time Trang saw her grandmother become teary-eyed.

"I saw how much joy that it brought her and how many memories stirred from it," Trang said. She wondered if music could do the same for nursing home residents who had spent months isolated from visitors.

After each performance, Trang hands out chocolate. But the candy is just an excuse to linger, to ask residents about their favorite music, and to listen to their stories.

Trang has also written four children's books, including "All the Little Things," a poem she wrote for her mother. She illustrated it herself, drawing on her Vietnamese heritage and family values that she rarely saw reflected in children's literature.

The Ripple Effect

Fort Worth art teacher David Orona has used Trang's books in his elementary school classes. Students were inspired not only by the stories but by the fact that the author was close to their age.

Some began writing about their own mothers and grandmothers. Others started seeing themselves differently. "Most people don't realize that you can actually light that fire in elementary school, and it stays with them," Orona said.

When Trang donated one of her books to Orona's students, the children were surprised to learn the author was a teenager. "They began saying things like, 'Maybe I can write a book too,'" Trang said.

Her family taught her that talent is something to share. If you have a talent and can use it, you should give back to the community, she said.

Young people don't need to wait until they're 25 or 30 to do something meaningful, Trang said. Anything is possible if you have the initiative to take the first step.

Years from now, Trang hopes she can look back and know she made people feel cared for. "I really want them to remember me as someone who brought them joy," she said.