CREATIVE HEARTS TEAM

Vivienne Fullerton, Founder & Executive Director
Growing up, Vivienne saw how art could create moments of connection and joy for family members living with dementia. At age 14, she founded Creative HeARTS to bring student-led art programs to senior care communities. What started as a small volunteer effort has grown into an intergenerational arts nonprofit that has served more than 700 seniors.

Her experiences sparked her interest in neuroscience and in building a nonprofit that could make a lasting impact. She pursued this interest by taking an entrepreneurship/business development course at UC San Diego, completing a pre-collegiate neuroscience immersion course at Stanford University, working at a neuroscience research lab with an internship at the University of San Diego, and conducting independent behavioral science research.

Her research on creative engagement and older adults has won awards at the San Diego Science Fair and from the San Diego Psychology Association. She has also been recognized for her leadership and the positive impact she has made in the community, receiving the U.S. Congressional Gold Medal, the Dementia Society of America’s Ginny Gives® Award,  the Congressional Coin Challenge, and being named a finalist for the United Kingdom Dementia Care Awards.

Alexander Fullerton, Co-Leader & Program Partner
As a co-leader of Creative HeARTS, Alexander combines his passion for service, creativity, and problem-solving to support seniors living with dementia. Inspired by having four grandparents affected by dementia, he has dedicated more than 300 volunteer hours to leading art workshops, creating art installations at senior communities and creating meaningful experiences for over 500 seniors.

Using skills from the Stanford Math Circle, Alexander applies data and analysis to help measure the impact of Creative HeARTS programs. He is currently designing and building a wheelchair-accessible sharing library for a memory care community. His work has been recognized with U.S. Congressional Silver and Bronze Medals, the National Service Gold Medal, a California Congressional Challenge Coin, and as a finalist in the UK Dementia Care Awards.