The Girl Scouts Troop 1986 from Westchester has been coming to the VNSNY CHOICE Adult Day Center to lead and participate in intergenerational activities for many years. We’ve literally watched the girls grow up. Over the years, they’ve become so comfortable and developed a true appreciation for seniors. For our seniors, their creativity and energy has been an inspiration and comfort. Sadly, this year will be Troop 1986’s last year with us. We’re hoping Victoria’s younger brother in the Cub Scouts and younger sister in the Daisies continue intergenerational activities for many years to come. Here…

Ask young children what they want to be when “they grow up,” and you may be pleasantly surprised by their responses. Childhood is filled with wonderful, almost magical, looks at the real world. To all of us adults who may be a little more reality focused, we laugh and think longingly of our own dreams. If you think back to your feelings about growing up, you may have also had very high hopes. Wasn’t that a great feeling? Where did that joy go? Well, dreaming up these marvelous carreer paths never has…

The Girl Scouts Troop 1986 is working hard on their 2013 intergenerational project at the VNSNY CHOICE Adult Day Center. The goal of this year’s initiative is to create nutrition-related in home activity kits for an underserved community in Westchester. Some bags will go to VNSNY CHOICE Westchester and others may go to a Meals on Wheels Program in Mt. Vernon.    

A few months ago, Troop 1986 Heart of the Hudson, came to the Center to introduce the project. The Girl Scouts gave a cooking demonstration and led a discussion group…

On Tuesday, we celebrated Grandparents Day with our friends from the Girl Scouts, Boy Scouts and Daisies in Westchester. Victoria, from Troop 1986, has been coming to the center and coordinating activities for the seniors for the past 6 years. Here are some of her thoughts about the day…

Sharing Grandparents Day with the VNSNY CHOICE Adult Day Center and some of my scouts was a great opportunity to celebrate grandparents. By using cooking, I was able to bring my great grandmother’s memory to life. I shared her favorite recipes and cookbooks, which she kept…

The VNSNY CHOICE Adult Day Center is so lucky to partner with Girl Scout Troop 1986 to create fun and meaningful intergenerational programs for our seniors! Congratulations to Victoria, one of our Scouts that wrote and received a grant from Generations United in Washington DC! Funding will go toward an intergenerational nutritionally based program, which will not only help our seniors but will extend way beyond our four walls. The program will include a Grandparents Day event, creation of an intergenerational cookbook and in-home activity kits for 150 seniors in Westchester.

We’re…

The VNSNY CHOICE Adult Day Center had an Intergenerational Day with the Girl Scouts, Cub Scouts and Daisies this week.  It’s wonderful to see how they’ve grown, matured and opened their hearts to seniors since starting at our center years ago.

Victoria, who did an amazing job planning the day of activities, presented about their experience at the American Society on Aging Conference in Washington D.C. in March. She spoke about the Girl Scouts responses the first year they were scheduled to come – “What’s the point, they’re old” or “What…

The VNSNY CHOICE Adult Day Center is looking forward to our annual intergenerational day with the Girl Scouts and Cub Scouts on April 30^th!     The group is going to work on in-home activity kits for homebound seniors in VNSNY CHOICE (http://2012.vnsnychoice.org/).     This activity was so successful last year, that we’re doing it again to help support local seniors that are isolated at home.  

Our seniors, Girl Scouts and Cub Scouts benefit on so many levels from this project – the seniors spend time with and enjoy younger generations, they create a…

One of our wonderful Girl Scout volunteers who comes to the VNSNY CHOICE Adult Day Center (http://2012.vnsnychoice.org/) for intergenerational programs is now spending some time in China. She wrote to us to share how her experience with the elderly at our center is shaping her experience in Shanghai. It’s very interesting and I wanted to share it with you.

My name is Neassa and I have been a Girl Scout since the 4th Grade. One of the parts of Girl Scouts that I have enjoyed the most is preparing for and…

For the past three years, our center has been hosting a series of intergenerational activities with Girl Scout Troop 1986.  Not only have these activities had a positive effect on our seniors, but the girls too have grown and become more comfortable here over the years.

Below, one of our wonderful Girl Scouts shares some thoughts on what this program means to her. Her words provide an interesting insight into how the kids’ perceptions have changed as a result of the time they’ve spent here. ( Plus, I love what she calls our seniors!)  Enjoy.

“Hi my name is Nikki G! I am a student at a…

We love intergenerational activities at the center. It’s so great to see the joy on the seniors faces when the kids come! Many of our seniors don’t get a chance to spend time with children and it really lifts their spirits. It also exposes the kids to seniors and teaches them to be comfortable around a population with a variety of physical and cognitive impairments. Over the years, we’ve had many elementary and high school age children visit, and they’ve participated in wonderful art projects, discussions, games and talent shows.

For the past three years,…