Over a dozen senior community volunteers visited Dever Elementary School on Oct. 15 to kick off the annual Intergenerational Reading Program, which is now in its 18th year.
The program was founded in 1994 by Valley Stream resident Mimi Friedman, and the focus is to bridge the generation gap between elementary students and seniors with reading. Dever Principal Darren Gruen explained that the Intergenerational Reading Program gives members of the Valley Stream community the opportunity to visit the school and share in the wonderful things being done by local students. “The senior volunteers are incredibly conscientious and very dedicated to the program,” Gruen said. “They develop long-lasting relationships with the students, some that last all seven years. The students and seniors bring each other birthday and holiday presents in some instances.”
Friedman said she got the idea when her grandchildren were attending Dever Elementary in the early 90s, and she kept the program going even after they graduated because the students and seniors enjoyed their time together so much. “The beautiful part about it is, once the children get past the initial greeting, they get to know you and like you,” Friedman explained. “It’s a warm, friendly feeling. It gives the seniors a place to go, and it’s a comfortable communication between the seniors and students. It’s basically how we interact with our grandchildren. We read a little bit, we talk a little bit, and we enjoy our time together.”
The senior volunteers will be meeting with the children every Monday, in four sessions each lasting 25 minutes.
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