5th grade students connect with seniors battling illness through Hope Network Side By Side program

A “pay it forward” relationship has grown between Stocking Elementary School students and seniors in the Side By Side Program that gives inspiration beyond simply writing a check this Christmas
 
Dec. 14, 2009 - PRLog -- GRAND RAPIDS, MICH – Once a month, 55 students and four teachers walk down Stocking Ave. to a Hope Network facility to participate in a program called Side By Side. A portion of the program involves a student/senior buddies system that offers socialization, singing, reading and group activities for 25 seniors struggling with diseases such as, Dementia, Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s, as well as many who are recovering from strokes.

The Side By Side program provides adult day services and respite services to the primary caregivers who need relief from the day-to-day care giving of a dependent family member with Alzheimer’s or other dementia. They provide enrichment activities such as gardening, art, dance, and music in a natural and therapeutic setting. The program is designed to maintain or improve social, educational, psychological and physical disabilities of the individual, and to provide a positive impact on body, mind and spirit.

The connection between the 5th grade students at Stocking Elementary School and the seniors started when the Side By Side family members collected and donated school supplies to the students this past September. With that giving, the classes decided to start visiting with the seniors monthly. Now after every meeting, the students return to school and use the supplies that were donated to them to write about the time they spent with the seniors on “memory pages.” After each writing session, the “memory pages” are compiled and given to the senior’s family members.

“The interactions with the students are great,” said Teresea Schlump, the Elderly Programs Director for Hope Network’s Behavioral Health Services. “Everyone looks forward to seeing the students and the students are learning compassion and empathy.”

The next Side By Side meeting is on December 15, 2009 at 10:30am – 11:30am where the students will be singing Christmas carols, visiting with their “Senior Buddies” and performing a dress rehearsal of their school Holiday Program to finish the visit.

The Side By Side program plans to meet with the students for the rest of the school year.

Hope Network has also partnered with Stocking Elementary School to collect change for Heifer International, to sponsor an animal for a family overseas. Depending on the amount of money raised, they will either purchase a heifer, water buffalo, llama, goat, sheep, pig or rabbits.

About Hope Network:
Hope Network is a non-profit Christian organization founded in 1963 to empower people with disabilities or disadvantages to achieve their highest level of independence.  We provide a continuum of specialized care for those with brain and spinal cord injuries, mental illness, developmental disabilities, and other disadvantages.  Our support services include transportation, subsidized housing, case management, community based services and workforce development.  Hope Network cares for the whole person addressing the social, mental, physical, emotional, and spiritual needs.  With corporate offices in Grand Rapids, Hope Network provides services in 170 plus locations, by 2,100 staff to people in more than 50 counties.  In 2008, we served almost 13,000 people throughout Michigan.  For more information, please visit www.hopenetwork.org.
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