Join us in Connecting #StudentsToSeniors!
- Brandon Bain
- Apr 3, 2020
- 2 min read
Updated: Nov 8, 2024
Like everybody else, I am working hard to adjust to the new normal to keep my family and community safe through the current crisis. “Stay Home,” “social distance,” “no-contact nods,” and near compulsive hand-washing are all a part of this strange, new normal.
Somewhere between calls, virtual meetings, meal prep (and so much more laundry!) these past weeks, my kitchen counter was converted into an art studio. I guess it’s a bonus that we can now help ourselves to snacks and meals–and arts and crafts–simultaneously? Yeah…
Under any other circumstances my kitchen-turned-art-studio would drive me nuts. Right now, I recognize the counter space as a small sacrifice to keep my kids safe and sane under these extraordinary circumstances. Come to think of it, I have noticed far less squabbling and far more healthy family chatter than I would have ever imagined.
We are all making sacrifices, discovering unexpected benefits, and finding creative ways to stay connected. Like so many of you, I find myself checking in on friends and family more often than ever–especially those living alone, or in nursing and retirement homes. But what else can we do from a distance? I cannot help but worry about our elder friends and family, now more isolated than ever.
And I know I’m not the only one worried.
Conversations with many of our Safe and Sound community members—parents, school leaders, educators, students, corporate partners, mental health and public safety folks– reveal common concerns about maintaining healthy connections, especially for our youngest and oldest populations.
And that’s where this idea came from…let’s connect our students to our seniors to encourage and engage two groups in most need.
This time at home offers our homebound students a unique opportunity to serve our senior population, albeit from a “safe distance.” It’s an opportunity to shift focus from so many difficult sacrifices––school, sports, prom, playdates, social outings, and more––toward the needs of others, painfully isolated from family and friends during this crisis.
Join us in connecting #StudentsToSeniors, a Safe and Sound initiative to engage students of all ages and encourage seniors at a time when both are in need of outside connection. Safe and Sound Schools invites students to create encouraging artwork for collection and digital delivery to seniors across the nation.
Artwork can be 2-D drawings, paintings, digital creations, or photos of 3-D artwork (like sculptures, models, or dioramas). To learn more about how you can participate, visit https://safeandsoundschools.org/s2s/.
I, for one, have a kitchen counter full of art waiting to be shared…
So push up your sleeves, allow for a little creative mess, and support the health and wellness of both students and seniors with us!
Thank you for helping us work to keep everybody safe and sound through this extraordinary time.
Michele Gay, Co-Founder of Safe and Sound Schools
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