The four teens and pre-teens who spent about 90 minutes Monday visiting and playing games with residents at The Birches Assisted Living in Clarendon Hills said the learned from the experience.
“It’ different and unique, something we don’t really get to usually do,” said Ella Smith, 13, of Clarendon Hills, who participated in the Clarendon Hills Park District program with her twin brother, Nathan, and two Lisle residents, whose park district is part of a co-op with Clarendon Hills.
“I like to talk with the people here because it’s interesting, and it also teaches you about kindness,” Ella said.
Nathan said he enjoyed helping residents play games and listening to them talk.
“It’s really very interesting learning from a different generation,” he said.
The service program took place in The Birches Encore memory care community. Michele Silver, a park district recreation supervisor, said it offered participants a different kind of experience on a day off from school.
“It’s a good opportunity for them to interact with people of a different generation and be helpful to them,” Silver said.
Nathan Harer, 12, of Lisle, signed up for the annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day program to earn service hours for his church, Our Lady of Mount Carmel in Darien.
“It was a different experience being here with them,” Nathan said. “I’ve driven past here so many times, but never had any idea about what was going on inside.”
Nathan said he enjoyed the opportunity to spend some time with seniors other than his grandparents.
“I thought it was interesting to see the structure they have and how that’s important,” he said.
Katie Fagan, Encore director at The Birches, said the 90 minutes spent visiting and playing bingo and other games also was a good experience for the seniors.
“It’s great for the seniors to be around children,” she said. “They love it, and the kids can benefit from being around them because it’s an experience they don’t usually have.”