Here at Bedford Village we are overjoyed to have the program in place, allowing weekly interactions between our residents and local schoolchildren.  When I first heard of their work, I was excited to have them in our Bedford Village community to support intergenerational communication, community building and life enrichment for our residents.  They continue to achieve and exceed those goals every year using absolute minimal budgets and driven dedicated volunteers and staff.  The impact this program has in my building and on the lives of the participates, residents and students, alike is tangible. If you are lucky enough to observe it the laughter and communication flows unabated in our dining room on program days as the properly matched students and residents share and learn from each other.

For years, I have seen the relationships grow and bring quality life enrichment to my residents and the students. In some cases, the bonds formed last long after the program year has ended and benefit the community for years.   The ingenuity and dedication of the program leadership and volunteers ensured it was maintained in spite of Covid precautions in a safe and effective way and proved even more valuable during the periods of isolation forced upon my residents to keep them safe. Indeed when the school year started, many residents came to me concerned about linking generations as they felt it was vital to their wellness. 

The Linking Generations program supports the concept of being good neighbours in a measurable way.  Some would question the wisdom of putting a senior’s residence across the street from the school. Any fears of misalignment have been eliminated by this relationship and the kindness it fuels. The results are real and impactful and bring joy, caring and kindness to Bedford Village.

I want to thank you ALL for allowing me to participate as a volunteer in this wonderful and special program. As you can see from my evaluation sheet – my experience was so positive – the BEST!

My students were very special and so gifted. I loved working and being teamed with them both. They helped me to grow within myself immensely. I have a much bigger picture and knowledge and understanding of what teens are going through, their interests and goals they are trying to achieve.

They have helped me so much to broaden my thinking. To think bigger and set goals for myself – even as a senior, and helped me to come out of my ‘shell’. I really enjoyed the activities we did – the games were fun (made me realize I need to play more – even as a senior). Also, the scrap booking, the crafts and the visiting and socializing was absolutely great.

I myself felt that they (students) gave me more and enriched my life in a much greater way. I do hope I was able to leave the students with a positive note of what a senior experiences along with challenges we have. We need each other.

I have been so blessed and enriched by volunteering myself with Linking Generations. Thank you so much again!