|
The Heyman Interages®Center is a program
of JCA® - Jewish Council for the Aging of Greater Washington.
| |
|
THE INTERAGES CONNECTOR
STAYING CONNECTED
| |
|
Staying in Touch
Hello JCA Interages Volunteers,
We extend our deepest gratitude to the incredible volunteers of the JCA Interages Intergenerational Programs. Your unwavering dedication and heartfelt commitment have made a profound impact on our community, enriching the lives of participants across generations. Your selfless contributions of time, energy, and compassion create invaluable experiences and foster connections that transcend age barriers. Through your efforts, you bring joy, wisdom, and support to those you serve, embodying the true spirit of community and making a lasting difference. Thank you for your extraordinary service and for being the heart and soul of our programs.
Photo of Interages volunteer, Doris Brott, with the student with whom she reads in the Wheaton Woods Elementary Grandreaders program.
| |
|
See volunteer opportunities anytime through our
Volunteer Portal
Please note: all opportunities require
preregistration and background check.
| |
 | |
Photo: Kathi Dennis, Senior Director of JCA Interages; Bill Waller, Awardee, Shane Rock, CEO of JCA; Indira Dingledine, Volunteer Manager of JCA Interages.
The Austin Heyman Volunteer Service Award is named after the founder of Interages. Austin started Interages more than 30 years ago after learning about intergenerational programs at a White House conference on aging. This award honors an individual who is making significant contributions to intergenerational volunteer programming in their community through their time, actions, talents, and dedication. The honoree serves as a role model for compassion and service, and constantly strives to make the world a better place.
This year's awardee, Bill Waller has been an Interages volunteer for more than 20 years. Bill and his wife of 52 years, Ania, have three daughters who all graduated from JFKennedy High School. In fact, Bill has been part of the Interages Dialogues Across the Ages program at Kennedy for several years. Chances are, Bill has likely volunteered in most of the Interages intergenerational programs.
Not to remain idle during the pandemic...Bill spent the time researching his family. Adopted as an infant, Bill was curious about his birth family and has now uncovered and met a whole new set of relatives.
Bill and Ania are avid travelers and have visited all 7 continents including almost 100 countries. Bill still plays volleyball, scuba dives, and is a skilled photographer.
See an interview with Bill, here.
| |
 | |
Photo: Andy, Awardee; Kathi Dennis, Senior Director of JCA Interages; Shane Rock, CEO of JCA
Andy, a 11th grader, is the recipient of the Interages Youth Volunteer Award of 2024. Andy’s contributions to JCA have made a significant impact on others. He writes articles for Interages, providing valuable information and insights. He assists older adults with Connect-A-Ride Travel Training, helping them navigate transportation options. Through Kensington Club, he participates in Zoom social clubs, offering companionship and social interaction. In the Opening Minds through Art Program, Andy engages seniors in creative activities, enriching their lives.
Beyond JCA, Andy actively supports his peers in the YMCA-sponsored Youth and Government Club, where he will serve as President next year. He guides members through the legislative process and serves as a role model. Andy also shares his passion for basketball by teaching the game to kids, and he recently took on the role of Youth Referee for Montgomery County Recreation’s elementary-age program. Andy’s dedication to helping others through his volunteer activities makes him a truly deserving recipient of this award. Congratulations, Andy!
| |
|
It is with great honor that we recognize Megan Bainbridge, Reading Specialist at Captain James E. Daly Elementary School in Germantown, as this year's recipient of the Margaret Cutler Award. With 14 years of teaching experience across Howard, Frederick, and Montgomery Counties, Megan has dedicated herself to various roles, including teaching K, 1st, 4th grades, and ELD instruction, primarily in Title I schools. Her deep passion for reading instruction is evident in her innovative efforts to support intergenerational learning. Megan's creation of a monthly Zoom class for volunteers has equipped them to be more effective reading tutors for students in Montgomery County, fostering meaningful connections and enhancing literacy skills. Her work embodies the spirit of the Margaret Cutler Award, reflecting her unwavering commitment to education and community engagement. Congratulations, Megan, on this well-deserved recognition.
Photo: Megan Bainbridge, Awardee
|
|
|
MONTHLY READING TUTOR
TRAINING SERIES
We hope you will join us on Zoom for our monthly Reading Tutor Training series. These sessions are helpful for any volunteers. 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.
Thank you Megan for all you did this past year. These sessions will resume in September, after the summer break. Hope you have a wonderful summer, in the mean time recorded sessions are noted below.
RECORDED SESSIONS
To view past recordings of the Reading Tutor Training sessions, visit our Volunteer Portal.
| | |
|
|
A volunteer’s voice improvement experience
Hi, my name is Aaron Favin and I am a recent JCA Interages Grandreader. When I first signed on to be a reader, I’d been retired for several months, and noticed that my voice had weakened -- I’d become even less conversational than normal for my already reserved and quiet manner. My voice seemed to give out after a few sentences at a time.
I realized that I wanted to strengthen my speaking voice since Interages entails reading out loud, to children, for perhaps an hour. Initially, I did the requisite internet searches, and found freely available, interesting articles and guidance, usually static in nature and lacking in feedback. (“Practice speaking through a straw …”)
Eventually, I searched for a phone app and after researching a few candidates for my Android phone, I signed up for the free trial (about a week). It has indeed helped strengthen my voice, increase confidence, and helps with articulation. I practiced almost daily for the first few weeks, and subsequently about twice weekly for maintenance. It seemed impressive and had a lot of functions, so I purchased a one-year subscription for about $80.
The app’s core feature is a diverse set 3-5 minute vocal training video exercises, chosen from their wide-ranging online library, These are packaged, per my app settings, as a set of five (5) as a “Plan for the Day,” such as “Jaw Messaging,” “Training T,” “Soft and Hard R,” and “Lullaby”. For example, the latter displays the Vocal Image Creator (instructor) guiding “Softly and deeply humming the ‘MMM’”. Prior to each exercise, one reads a short text passage, such as from The Count of Monte Cristo, or Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy, that is recorded and uploaded to the cloud. After the 3-5 minute exercise, one re-records the same passage, which is again uploaded to the cloud, and analytically compared to the first attempt via their acoustic algorithms. Metrics are provided in terms of differences in vocal masculinity, femininity, confidence, weakness, and monotony. Usually, one wants to reduce the last two aspects.
Other fun features include a Celebrity Test, Age Test, Singing Test, Clarity Test, Accent Test, and Voice Rating. For the first couple of times, I scored about 70% similarity with Morgan Freeman’s or Brad Pitt’s voice profiles, and more recently with Rodrigo Santoro, all else equal. My daughters’ tests both matched most closely with Lucy Liu and were relieved a Kardashian match was ruled out. It's fun to test celebrity matches with friends and family at parties and gatherings.
The app developers were responsive to a bug I’d reported, which was fixed in short order. The app also has Challenges, Talks and Podcasts.
So if you are interested in voice improvement to help in your volunteering or in general, I would recommend you consider and try a voice training phone app.
For more information, contact Indira Dingledine at idingledine@accessjca.org.
| | |
At the Feeling Rejuvenated Using Intergenerational Techniques (FRUIT) Clancyworks Dance Company debrief session, Interages volunteers and Kennedy High School students culminate their thoughts, reflecting on their time together interacting through movement and dialogue. The group gave a dance performance at the Neon Lights Dance Show Case at Kennedy High School.
| |
Make a gift to support the good work that we do. | |
You can designate your gift to intergenerational programs on the donation form. | |
|
'Cause a little bit of summer is what the whole year is about.
John Mayer
| |
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. | |
|
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.© 2024 Jewish Council for the Aging® All rights reserved.
| | | | |
