The Heyman Interages^®Center is a program

of JCA^® - Jewish Council for the Aging of Greater Washington.

See volunteer opportunities anytime through our

Volunteer Portal

Please note, all opportunities require

preregistration and background check.

📚 Explore the Joy of Reading with Grandreader Volunteer Opportunities!

Unlock the magic of literacy and make a lasting impact on a child's social emotional well being by becoming a Grandreader volunteer. We have exciting opportunities available at various elementary schools, and we invite you to join us in fostering a love for reading. No experience necessary—just a passion for making a difference! Seeking volunteers aged 50+. Join programs currently underway at any time.

Locations:

Greencastle Elementary School

• Address: 13611 Robey Rd, Silver Spring, MD 20904
• Time: Tuesdays, 2:45-3:15 pm
• Duration: May or June end

Spark Matsunaga Elementary School

• Address: 13902 Bromfield Rd, Germantown, MD 20874
• Time: Wednesdays, 3:00 – 3:30 pm
• Duration: Through May 7

Wheaton Woods Elementary School

• Address: 4510 Faroe Pl, Rockville, MD 20853
• Time: Tuesdays, 3:00 – 3:45 pm
• Duration Through May 7
• Grade: 2nd graders

Bel Pre Elementary School

• Address: 13801 Rippling Brook Drive, Silver Spring, MD 20906
• Time: Tuesdays, 10:30 – 11:00 am
• Duration: Through May 21
• Grade: 2nd graders

How to Get Involved:

• Contact: Reach out to Indira Dingledine at idingledine@accessjca.org.
• Requirements: A background check and application
• Commitment: Be matched with a child and share the joy of reading throughout the academic year.

Join us in creating a brighter future—one page at a time. Become a Grandreader volunteer and embark on a rewarding adventure with young minds. Let's inspire the next generation of readers together!

📧 Contact Indira Dingledine at idingledine@accessjca.org to get started!

JCA Interages Wheaton Woods Grandreaders Volunteer, Alice Harris, shared her thoughts with us:

Alice was happy to read with a student. "She is a good reader and is able to sound out words fairly well. Her teacher suggested we work on improving her fluency and her confidence. We spent some of the time discussing what she had read and her own experiences to increase her confidence in communicating. She enjoys the cards with the combination sounds and we try to think of additional words besides the ones listed on the reverse side. She is delightful."

Seeking volunteers! Bridges is back!

🌟 Become a catalyst for positive change by joining the Interages' Daly Elementary Bridges Program as a 50+ volunteer! Embrace the opportunity to connect with children whose primary language is Spanish, French, and more, even if you only speak English. Our program, held from 4:00 PM to 5:00 PM every Wednesday, promises a blend of fun activities, fostering language and cultural exchange. No prior knowledge of a second language is necessary, as we provide comprehensive training and support. Ensure your participation by completing pre-screening and MCPS fingerprinting. For inquiries or to express your interest, contact Indira Dingledine at idingledine@accessjca.org. Your involvement could be the key to creating impactful connections and meaningful experiences for both you and the children. ✨

Photo by Jesus Loves Austin on Unsplash

Reader’s theater is

Reader’s theater is a style of theater in which the readers gather in small groups to convey stories using vocal expression to help the audience understand it. Reader’s theater increases reading comprehension and reading motivation and helps develop fluency through repeated exposure to text.

SEEKING VOLUNTEERS! :

GLEN HAVEN ELEMENTARY READERS THEATER

Glen Haven Elementary School

10900 Inwood Ave, Wheaton-Glenmont, MD 20902

Wednesdays 2:20 – 2:50 pm

With 2nd graders.

Dates:

1/17: orientation at 2:00 pm in the school

regular sessions: 1/17, 1/24,

1/31, 2/7

2/14: final rehearsal

2/21 last session and performance to kindergartners.

Background check and application required. If interested, please contact Indira Dingledine, idingledine@accessjca.org .

JCA Harmony Hills Elementary Readers Theater volunteers and staff Karen/Tatjana/Olga/Ed/Rachel/Lora enjoy a celebratory lunch to close the Fall session of the program. Thank you for volunteering! We know the children truly enjoyed Readers Theater with you. 

JCA Interages Dialogues Program at Redland Middle School:

Students and Volunteers created stories

Dialogues Session 5

* Activity together: One volunteer starts: “Once upon a time there was a ……..”, the next participant continues the story and the table goes on for two complete rounds. Someone takes notes and reads the whole story created at the end.

STORY 1:

There was a student who liked a boy, but the student was too shy to tell him about her feelings, but the girl wanted to talk to the boy, but she didn’t know he liked her back.

The girl had a friend who wanted to get them together. The friend went to the boy, and they started talking. They found they both liked music. After they talked, the girl asked can I connect you with my friend.

STORY 2:

Once upon a time, my horse was pregnant. We took it to the vet who said we had twins. My father said we didn’t have enough space for twins, so I got in touch with a friend who had a farm. There we hitched them to a sleigh and took them for a ride to Antarctica. There the horses were fighting and got lost. I looked up and saw the horses were missing so I called the Arctic patrol and then in the sky I saw Pegasus. There were 2 horses flying with Pegasus and the sleigh. They flew around the world (and this is how we got Santa—thanks to Bill).

STORY 3:

Last week I got on a train to DC. I went to see my grandparents and we ate food. Because my grandparents are from Peru, they prepared a delicious ceviche. They watched TV. My grandparents liked to watch horror movies. They decided we should watch “It”. After the movie ended, we all went to bed. The next day I took my grandparents out to eat. My grandma told me that she had a dream about being up in the mountains skiing. She had a very good dream. She dreamt she won a gold medal in the Olympics in slalom.

When they went home, they found a lot of monkeys in the house. We wanted to become friends with the monkeys, so we gave them bananas. When they were feeding bananas, they attacked my grandparents. Luckily, I had learnt karate when I was a little child. I used that karate to defend my grandparents.

Moral: Do not feed monkeys bananas because they get aggressive.

JCA Interages Advisory Committee Member,

David Engel awarded Debra Levy Humanitarian of the Year

Congratulations to David Engel, a member of the JCA Heyman Interages Advisory Committee, for being awarded the 13th Debra Levy Humanitarian of the Year Award by GROWS, the Grass Roots Organization for the Well-being of Seniors. Established in 1989, GROWS provides a platform for networking, education, and advocacy for senior service professionals. In addition to his work as a licensed Realtor and on the Interages Advisory Committee, David volunteers as a GROWS Board member and is Chair of the GROWS Advocacy Committee, promoting the work of advocates for the senior population and their families.

GROWS wrote "... to David Engel, Taylor Properties. He is a Realtor by profession but an advocate for seniors by passion. Incredibly generous with his time, he serves in the volunteer position as Chair of the County's Commission on Aging. He works tirelessly as an advocate on behalf of older people in the County. The COA advises and educates the County Executive, the County Council, various Montgomery County departments, and the State legislature about the concerns and needs of seniors. The effectiveness of COA advocacy has resulted in many programs and policies benefiting the County’s older adult population...

We are in awe of his positive energy and contagious compassion for the senior community of Montgomery County. He has earned the honor of receiving the 13th Debra Levy Humanitarian of the Year Award and all that it stands for. Congrats!"

MONTHLY READING TUTOR TRAINING SERIES

We hope you will join us on Zoom for our monthly Reading Tutor Training series. We are so grateful to presenter Megan Bainbridge, Reading Specialist of the Captain James E. Daly Elementary School, who is providing the sessions. Each session focuses on a different Reading Tutor Training topic, and lasts about an hour. Pre-registration online is required. 

Please note, these sessions provide broad tips and are not intended to be certification level training.

Reading Tutor Training: January 26 at 3:00pm TOPIC TBD

Register in advance for this meeting:

https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZMrce6vrzgoGNTdY8To90cq-L9iC-dvFJX3

 After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

RECORDED SESSIONS

To view past recordings of the Reading Tutor Training sessions, visit our Volunteer Portal.

Make a gift to support the good work that we do.

You can designate your gift to intergenerational programs on the donation form.

Tomato Mysteriously Lost in Space Turns Up 8 Months Later. For more information, Click Here.

"Beauty can be seen in all things."

Matt Hardy

For your convenience, past issues of the JCA Interages Connector are available on the JCA Interages website. Or hold your phone camera over this QR code or take a screenshot of the QR code and it will take you to our website.