The Bellevue Public Schools and the Bellevue Senior Community Center have established a partnership that brings together the community’s young people with senior citizens in meaningful, positive ways. Seniors and Students: Partners for Tomorrow provides a variety of opportunities for students and seniors to interact, with both groups benefiting from the partnership.
The seniors spend time in the schools every week, reading with elementary students and providing unique one-on-one interaction. Seniors have enjoyed an increased involvement in the schools, both through their volunteer work and as guests at special performances of student plays and musicals. The two groups have joined forces to create an Intergenerational Choir which annually performs to an increasingly large audience. At the holidays, students and seniors work together to wrap gifts for needy families.
In today’s world, many children do not have grandparents who live nearby. Bellevue’s senior citizens, by being involved in our schools, give students a chance to interact with a generation they may not otherwise spend time with. The results have been outstanding and both seniors and students look forward to their time together.
