The Heyman Interages®Center is a program
of JCA® - Jewish Council for the Aging of Greater Washington.
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THE INTERAGES CONNECTOR
STAYING CONNECTED WHILE STAYING HOME
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Staying in Touch
Hello JCA Interages Volunteers,
This photo from 1955 is called “a few seconds before happiness.” The photo grants us a window into what is about to happen. It reminds us that sometimes the small things bring the most pleasure – a new puppy, a handwritten note, or even just the moment when we can lower our masks and feel a rush of fresh air on our face. Wishing you happiness!
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WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU
The next Coffee Club (held once a month) is
Meet with Interages staff members via Zoom. We would love to talk with you and learn about your volunteer experience, your ideas for for programming and partnering with other organizations.
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NEW MONTGOMERY COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOL VOLUNTEER REQUIREMENTS: VOLUNTEERS, HAVE YOU SEEN OUR EMAIL?
Regardless of whether you decide to volunteer virtually in the coming months, all Interages volunteers working through MCPS or several of our non-profit partners must now go through a mandatory fingerprinting and background check process.
All volunteers working directly with children either virtually or eventually in schools, must now go through the "badging process" which entails having their fingerprints and photo taken and being assigned an ID #. The security background check will be processed by the state of Maryland and the FBI. Our local badging center is at Emory Grove Center, a Montgomery County Public School facility in Gaithersburg.
[Please note our SHARE From A Distance program does not require fingerprinting.]
Please contact Indira Dingledine, Volunteer Manager, for more information at idingledine@accessjca.org or (cell) 202 441-0357
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Back to School (Virtually) |
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We are gearing up to start virtually volunteer tutoring and other volunteering with the Montgomery County Public Schools, as well as with community partners. While we will not be returning to all the schools we were volunteering in in-person, many of the schools have said they are interested in continuing at this time. For more information contact: Indira Dingledine, Volunteer Manager, at idingledine@accessjca.org or (202) 441 - 0357. |
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SHARE From A Distance program.
SHARE From A Distance provides meaningful connections between young people and older adults.
Through our SHARE From A Distance program, students and older adults are connecting via Zoom to make meaningful connections. SHARE (Students Help and Reach Elders) was previously held in person at schools and senior living communities, but has pivoted for safe participation. We are pleased to be able to continue its mission by bringing the generations together safely via Zoom.
Students from the Grace Episcopal Day School who are distance learning "gather" with residents of the Landow House Assisted Living for "Landow Lunches." This is where older adults and youth get to know one another by sharing photos, playing games, and having conversation.
We were told that the residents saw how Covid is affecting everyone, not just them living in a facility and it made them feel less alone. New participants are rotated each time, and everybody benefits – older residents are becoming more comfortable with new technology, and the children are receiving focused attention form an older adult.
Here is a quote and a moment from a recent SHARE program:
2nd grade student to Landow resident: "What makes you unique?"
Resident: "My love of people of all ages, especially the younger ages."
The students and residents have shared photographs of their families or art that they had created. One student even demonstrated a yoga pose she learned at school.
Rachel Lanman Program Coordinator, Heyman Interages® Center, the SHARE/SHARE From a Distance facilitator said, "They spent so much talking to each other and making connections that we barely had any time for games!"
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JOIN SHARE FROM A DISTANCE
AND BECOME A PEN PAL
Are you or someone you know interested in being matched up with a young person to send letters back and forth?
Build relationships with youth during this difficult time when people of ALL ages are feeling isolated and eager to make connections. Only first names are given and all correspondence is filtered through JCA staff. You can choose to write to youth via email or postal mail. Lastly, if you know anyone who might be interested, please send them our way!
Thanks for your help and support!
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INTERGENERATIONAL INTERVIEWS:
FIRST STUDENTS IN TRAINING
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Interages had such success having a youth conduct a Zoom interview of the Interages Founder, Austin Heyman, that we started an interviewing program. At this time, six youth, grades 7-12, were recruited to conduct interviews.
Each student sent in a video sample introducing themselves. Kay Klass, a very active Interages volunteer, held an interview training session via Zoom with the children.
We also learned it is important not to use a virtual background during an interview. Virtual backgrounds will flicker in and out, distracting from the person on the screen. Interages is working with a videographer to polish the final video.
Our first six interviewees have been identified. Coming to a future newsletter is a video interview with;
David Gamse, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) (head honcho) of Jewish Council for the Aging (JCA)
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LETS STAY HEALTHY AND SAFE |
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Here is the latest data on the best and worst of the face masks in the fight against COVID-19, and a glimpse into what future face masks might look like.
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Here is information on best practices when using a public bathroom during this COVID time.
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Let's Laugh
Here is a fun musical moment
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Kids today don't know how easy they have it. When I was young, I had to walk 9 feet through shag carpet to change the TV channel.
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A thief broke into my house last night.
He started searching for money so I woke up and searched with him.
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LETS ENJOY ART
The Salvador Dalí Museum in St. Petersburg, Fla. offers an interactive virtual tour of the museum, transporting you into the room filled with the surrealism works. Click here.
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“The one thing that doesn’t abide by majority rule is a person’s conscience.”
– Harper Lee
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Thank you to contributors:
Mike Rinis
Phyllis Solomon
Vicki Thomas
Bill Torrey
Vickie Witkin
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For your convenience, past issues of the JCA Interages Connector are available on the JCA Interages website.
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Jewish Council for the Aging of Greater Washington
"Jewish Council for the Aging", "JCA", "Helping All Seniors Thrive" and "Interages" are registered trademarks of the Jewish Council for the Aging of Greater Washington, Inc. Visit us at AccessJCA.org.© 2020 Jewish Council for the Aging® All rights reserved.
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