Success Stories

Friendship for All Ages

It’s not unusual for lasting friendships to develop over the school year, but when those friendships are between people who were born in different centuries, people take notice!  During the 2008/09 school year, seniors from Joseph Creek Care Village and students from TM Roberts Elementary School showed that friendships can form between people of all ages.

Through a popular intergenerational program, students from a local Grade 4/5 French Immersion class were paired with residents from Joseph Creek Care Village for regular visits and activities. During their monthly visits to Joseph Creek Care Village, students and residents fostered great friendships while participating in a series of fun activities, attending events and hanging out together. The students and their partners did crafts, attended musical performances and played bingo. Formal interviews gave students the opportunity to ask questions and learn more about the lives of their senior partners. On one day, the students were proud to teach them some French words!

The students developed a great set of skills, including wheelchair safety and inclusion, as well as understanding the importance of adapting tasks for different abilities and adjusting the tone and volume of their voice. Most importantly, they developed lasting friendships.

Our recreation Director, Krista Scavo, has only great things to say about the program: “Through this ‘buddy’ program, our residents have had an amazing opportunity to grow, learn and become connected with a younger generation. It has allowed our residents to share their wealth of knowledge and life experiences with the students. At the same time, they have learned what life is like now for the students growing up and going to school in 2009. We look forward to continuing this partnership in the upcoming school year.”

Mr. Jason Ludwar, the students’ teacher, explained that the school’s goal was to “make connections with community members outside of the school. We wanted to teach our curriculum without depending on a textbook: we wanted our students to learn from the knowledge and experience of our community’s seniors. The students learned our curricular goals and some life lessons along the way. After the first few visits, we truly were ‘buddies’.”

In May, the students invited their buddies to their school. Upon arrival, our Joseph Creek Care Village seniors were greeted by their students and escorted into the school for a guided tour. Some pairs proceeded to the library to read a story, some stopped in the gym, and others were introduced to the school principal.

Back in the classroom, one of our residents, Frances Clark, told the students what it was like when she went to grade school in Scotland. She enjoyed answering her audience’s many questions.

Afterwards, in the music room across the hall, the students danced to the Michael Jackson song “Thriller.” This much talked-about performance, which had recently won the students first prize at their school talent show, was a delight to see!

The last stop for the day was in the computer lab where the students displayed, much to the amazement of our residents, a small selection of some of the technology that they use.

In anticipation of the next visit, which will be the last one for the year, our young friends are already thinking about what comes next. A few students have already asked if they can come with their parents to Joseph Creek Care Village to continue their visits over the summer. Everyone involved with this program has enjoyed the children’s participation and the friendships that have developed. We will be delighted to see those friendships continue beyond the school year.