Intergenerational Program Database

The Robert J. Dole Institute of Politics recently started an intergenerational mentoring program with members of the Friends of the Dole Institute and the Dole Institute’s Student Advisory Board. The Friends of the Dole Institute is an annual giving program made up mostly of retirees in the Lawrence, Kansas community. Members of the Student Advisory Board are undergraduate and graduate students at the University of Kansas interested in public service and civic engagement. Mentors and mentees were matched based on their interests and met at three facilitated meetings throughout the semester, as well as on their own.

Teens Helping the Elderly (THE) Club was formed by students to help the elderly. Students have helped at Haysville Healthcare Center and plan to be involved with the Haysville Senior Center. The activities include ice cream socials, group circle with various activities, and manicure Fridays. Senior residents have helped students with Homecoming activities and helped them decorate their float for their fall festival. The students helped the residents pass out candy to trick or treaters, assisted with a Veterans Day celebration, and helped serve a holiday dinner to all residents and their families. Students in THE club set up a shopping mall at the nursing home for residents to pick out gifts for their loved ones; students also helped wrap and deliver the gifts. The students also hosted a Valentines dinner and BINGO for the residents in the commons of their school. The residents also had pen pals from tri city school. If funds were allowed, they plan to build a gazebo in the courtyard.

Children from a local Boys & Girls Club visit with residents at Mennonite Friendship Communities to garden together.

USD 257 and Windsor Place have partnered to offer a pre-school at Windsor Place at Iola. Residents are involved throughout the day with the school children by going in and helping them in their learning centers, by greeting them in the mornings, by having exercise class together with them, by forming relationships that help both the kids, and themselves.

The USD 445 School Board and Windsor Place partnered to get an all-day kindergarten classroom built right in the middle of Windsor Place. The elders each day gather around in anticipation of the children’s arrival. The children arrive with smiles, eager to expand their education Keyword: Shared Site

The building that houses the child care center is connected to the Assisted Living area of Schowalter Villa through a corridor named “Main Street. ” Each week every class takes a small group of their children to do activities with their particular residents at the Villa. We have eight seniors who come on a regular basis each week and help in the classroom as teacher aides. Many special events are planned to include children, college students from Hesston College and residents from Schowalter Villa. On occasion residents are brought to the children’s rooms to visit and children visit residents in their rooms. Keyword: Shared Site

Asbury Park is the home of Asbury Station, an affiliation of Newton Community Child Care Center, providing an opportunity for elders and children to interact on a daily basis. It grants them an opportunity to interact with not only other elders, but also with teachers, children and their families.  Elders realize they still have the ability to nurture and educate during the intergenerational activities.  Keyword: Shared Site

Children and seniors share songs, stories, rhymes, rhythms, instrument play and movement in a supportive, creative setting. Participants in Music Sparks' "Sharing Songs" program include children between the ages of 18 months and age 5, and older adults residing in the assisted living facility that hosts the event. Music Sparks' "Families in Rhythm (FIR)"program welcomes the entire family (3 years and older) to join the seniors of Sterling House Senior Living for rhymes, singing, drumming and moving.