Link Generations launches its third Summer Storytelling Series at Ingleside at King Farm Tuesdays and Thursdays 2:30-4pm, June 25-August 8. Middle and high school volunteers meet Tuesdays to learn basic principles of aging and best practices for leading interactive programs with residents on Thursdays. Student volunteers must commit to at least four weeks.
Link Generations’ third annual six-week Summer Storytelling Series at Ingleside at King Farm continued to be a growing success, increasing from 30 participants in 2017 to 50 in 2019. The program met two afternoons each week during the summer. On Tuesdays, middle and high school volunteers learned about basic principles of aging and on Thursdays, residents joined volunteers for intergenerational activities.
Some of the most popular activities have included themes like favorite movies and spirituality. Volunteers learned how residents watched movies when they were children and were able to compare it to how movies were shown today. One of the older adult residents said that her favorite lesson learned from a movie was to “be grateful for what you have when you have it.”
In the program about spirituality, Ingleside’s chaplain Anne Ellestad taught student volunteers about spirituality as one of the dimensions of health. We learned that spirituality is about how we find meaning and purpose in our lives and how we use our values to make decisions. Residents and volunteers talked about spirituality during the intergenerational session and learned valuable lessons for life’s journey. Some of these words of wisdom included:
To celebrate the 50th anniversary of the moon landing, Ingleside and Link Generations teamed up to throw a “Fly Me to the Moon” party. Volunteers learned all about the moon landing and the events leading up to it through a presentation shown by Link Generations Summer Intern Luke Frankel, a Walt Whitman High school student. The presentation included facts about the Apollo Program, the Space Race, and showed various clips from the moon landing and even President John F. Kennedy’s famous speech to Congress announcing his dream to land a man on the moon by the end of the decade.
On Thursday, residents from Ingleside joined student volunteers to commemorate the historic event by attending the “Fly Me to the Moon” party. At the party, volunteers talked with the residents about where they were during the moon landing and how they felt seeing a man on the moon. There was plenty of delicious moon-themed food at the party, such as Milky Way candy bars, Cosmic Brownies, Starburst, and astronaut ice cream.
Moon trivia during the party taught everyone new and interesting facts about the moon. Footsteps from the astronauts’ first expedition on the moon still remain there today. The “one small step for man” that Neil Armstrong described is literally still on the moon today!
The next Tuesday, Ingleside’s music therapist Kelsey Tucker taught the student volunteers how music stimulates both sides of the brain, and that it can create new pathways for neurons to travel within the brain. One cool thing we learned is that music can be used to help people who have had a stroke learn how to walk again.
The last week of the program consisted of a celebratory ice cream party and reflection of our time together. Volunteers and residents discussed what was similar and different between the two generations and shared life lessons learned during the program. Favorite life lessons:
Link Generations added weekly afternoons of summer games at Charles E. Smith Life Communities Ring House. Student volunteers learned about games from the residents’ generation and taught residents new games from today. Volunteers and residents felt connected when playing games like Scrabble, which was created in the 1930’s but is still popular today. Other favorites were Uno, Gin Rummy, Connect Four, and Apples to Apples.
Recruiting Link Generations Club leaders: now is the time
to start a club at your school to plan intergenerational activities for you and your friends. Earn community service credit (SSL hours), practice communication skills, build your college resume, meet interesting people of all ages, and have fun!
Contact lori@linkgenerations.org for
more information on how to start a club.
Planning for the next school year?
Middle school and high school students lead monthly intergenerational
activities at Charles E. Smith Life Communities Ring House Sundays, 1-3pm.
Dates for next year:
Link Generations launches its third Summer Storytelling Series at Ingleside at King Farm Tuesdays and Thursdays 2:30-4pm, June 25-August 8. Middle and high school volunteers meet Tuesdays to learn basic principles of aging and best practices for leading interactive programs with residents on Thursdays. Student volunteers must commit to at least four weeks.
Founder and Director of Link Generations
Link Generations knocked it out of the park June 6 at opening dayof the Bethesda Big Train’s season, when the home team literally knocked one out of the park for a homerun and 8-0 win. Link Generations volunteers were winners, too. More than 60 Link Generations supporters came to the event, including middle and high school volunteers and older adults from the community. It was a multi-generational event with picnickers ranging in age from 10 months to 90 years.
Link Generations was showcased at the game as one of Montgomery County’s nonprofits. See us throwing out the first pitch in the picture below. Thank you to all who donated to Link Generations and supported this important mission to connect youth and older adults in the community. We are excited to start our third summer of programming Tuesdays and Thursdays at Ingleside at King Farm and Wednesdays at Charles E. Smith Communities. Contact lori@linkgenerations.org for more information.
Join Link Generations 3rd Annual Picnic & Bethesda Big Train Baseball Game
5:30 pm Picnic
6:50 pm Link Generations First Pitch
Tickets: $25- Purchase now via the button below.
Or Send checks to Link Generations:
7979 Old Georgetown Rd., 10th Floor, Bethesda, MD 20814
Donations benefit Link Generations, Inc., 501(c)(3) and are tax deductible. Link Generations connects adolescents with older adults through social and educational programs to promote emotional and psychological health for both populations.
Take Me Out to the Ballgame! Thanks to all who have already bought their tickets for Link Generations 3rd Annual Picnic at the Bethesda Big Train Baseball Game. Tickets are still available for this year’s event Thursday, June 6, 5:30pm, Rain or Shine, Shirley Povich Field, 10300 Westlake Drive, Bethesda, MD 20852. Tickets are $25, free for volunteers, which includes the picnic and watching the summer collegiate baseball game. This is a fun event for the whole family. Bring your grandparents and make it an intergenerational celebration. Kids get to run the bases!
Donations to Link Generations support our mission of connecting youth and older adults. Link Generations is a 501(c)3 organization and donations are tax deductible. If you can’t make it to the event, please consider making a contribution to support tickets for volunteers who will be honored at the picnic. Thank you to the Jim and Carol Trawick Foundation for supporting this event!
A 92 year old resident summed up Link Generations programs: “This program works. It may not always work the way you think it will, but it always works.”
This is how it works:
15 Newport Academy students shared their love for music with 10 residents at Ingleside at King Farm. Intergenerational groups selected songs from different decades to share together and discovered that themes in music are long lasting. Songs like “Count on Me” by Bruno Mars and Elvis’ “I Can’t Help Falling in Love With You” inspired the group to sing and tap along to the beat. One student remarked, “It is great to see the language of music through the generations. This is really special.”
Link Generations worked with Charity Connect to host McLean School’s Day of Service at Ingleside at King Farm. 24 McLean School seniors spent time with 15 Ingleside seniors, learning about independent living, assisted living, careers in aging, and the benefits of spending time together. One student commented, “Sometimes giving people your time is all that’s needed to make a difference.”
Middle and high school volunteers met at Charles E. Smith Life Communities Ring House for 7 weekly Link Generations Group meetings and 4 monthly programs. Participants of all ages enjoyed painting pictures of cherry blossoms, teaching each other how to play UNO, dancing to songs from different decades, and learning about each other’s histories. One new student was thrilled to talk to a 103-year-old. The student said, “WOW!” He couldn’t believe the resident was able to tell him about the Great Depression, something he studied in school. Another resident joining Link Generations for the first time said, “I enjoyed this. We all got to learn something new.”
Recruiting Link Generations Club leaders: now is the time to start next year’s club at your school to plan intergenerational activities for you and your friends. Earn SSL hours, practice communication skills, build your college resume, meet interesting people of all ages, and have fun!
Contact lori@linkgenerations.org for more information on how to start a club.
2019 Link Generations Summer Storytelling Series
Link Generations is running its third Summer Storytelling Series at Ingleside at King Farm Tuesdays and Thursdays, 2:30-4pm, June 25-August 8. Middle school and high school student volunteers meet Tuesdays for training and education about principles of aging, best practices for working with older adults, and leadership skills. Student volunteers lead intergenerational programs Thursdays with Ingleside residents. Student volunteers must commit to attending a minimum of four weeks.
Dates:
Planning for the next school year? Middle school and high school students lead monthly intergenerational activities at Charles E. Smith Life Communities Ring House Sundays, 1-3pm.
Dates for next year:
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