Jeanne Lawrence broke into jubilant applause when she saw a group of preschool children enter the fellowship hall at Our Saviour’s Lutheran Church in Norge. Lawrence is among the older adults involved in a brand new initiative that’s been integrated into the existing Innovative Senior Champion Program launched last year.
“It is fun to be with them, to do what they want to do,” Lawrence said with a wide smile.
“She doesn’t have grandkids at home, so she enjoys being with these children,” added Bob Lawrence, Jeanne’s husband.
Colonial Heritage Community Foundation has collaborated with Virginia Tech through James City County Cooperative Extension Family Focus to create Transforming Relationships through Intergenerational Programs (TRIP). At its core, the program brings preschoolers and seniors together in mutually enriching activities.
The excitement in the room Wednesday was tangible. “The seniors light up when the kids come and when they engage with them,” said the Rev. Jim Nickols, Our Saviour’s pastor. He and the Rev. Rob Whitehead, of New Zion Baptist Church, have hosted the Innovative Senior Champion Program at their churches since last winter. “It adds a social, intergenerational dimension. It makes them more alert, more engaged.”
Prior to the arrival of the children, volunteers and foundation board members met with Karen DeBord, Shannon Jarrott, Jill Naar and Laura Palmer of Virginia Tech. The four women were on-site to see the TRIP program in action. DeBord said a five-year grant has allowed the program to start in other Virginia counties, including Albermarle and Louisa. Caroline and James City counties are the recipients of the last two years of the grant, which translates to $30,000 for the JCC Family Focus program.
“This program brings older adults and younger children together to raise the well-being of the adults and also to benefit the children,” Jarrott said.
According to information supplied by the foundation, intergenerational programs connect younger and older generations and result in positive health effects. Joan Bender, who with her husband, Dick Boyden, spearhead the foundation said these types of programs are especially invaluable to communities that have significantly large senior populations.
“Williamsburg is a retirement Mecca,” Bender said. “There are so many seniors living here and the focus is to keep them in their homes as long as possible.”
Music therapist Becky Watson led the group activity Wednesday, which consisted of rhythmic exercises. “Today is our first intergenerational interaction using music,” Watson said. “Music is a communication tool without words and uses all dimensions. It is holistic, and I do the sessions using themes.”
She chose a springtime theme, incorporating brightly colored “shaker eggs” into the fun. As each child entered, they were given an egg that corresponded in color to one already distributed to the seniors. They paired off to make music.
When youngster Aahan broke into spirited dancing, spontaneous laughter erupted around the circle, giving testament to the program’s simple power to enrich lives at both ends of the age spectrum.
More — Call Dick Boyden or Joan Bender at 345-6974 or email rboyden@chcfonline.org or joanbender1@cox.net or visit www.chcfonline.org for information.
![RICHMOND — The owner of Tarrant’s Cafe in downtown Richmond is a 20-year veteran of the city’s food scene. She started out waiting tables – now she owns four Richmond-area restaurants and is the CEO of RVA Hospitality. Liz Kincaid maintains her urban locations, And Dim Sum, Tarrant’s and Bar Solita, but she’s also found success in the Henrico County suburbs with Tarrant’s West. “Compared to my downtown restaurants, it’s more successful with sales, its guest counts are higher, people are more willing to go out there,” Kincaid said. The restaurant industry experienced significant technology and operational changes since the […]](https://www.dailypress.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/And-Dim-Sum.jpg?w=467 "RICHMOND — The owner of Tarrant’s Cafe in downtown Richmond is a 20-year veteran of the city’s food scene. She started out waiting tables – now she owns four Richmond-area restaurants and is the CEO of RVA Hospitality. Liz Kincaid maintains her urban locations, And Dim Sum, Tarrant’s and Bar Solita, but she’s also found success in the Henrico County suburbs with Tarrant’s West. “Compared to my downtown restaurants, it’s more successful with sales, its guest counts are higher, people are more willing to go out there,” Kincaid said. The restaurant industry experienced significant technology and operational changes since the […]")