A program that reaches out across the generations continues to build relationships in our community.
For the past several years, teacher Tasha Roberts’ students at Emerado Centennial School in Winkler have been paired up with older adults in the Senior Pen Pal Program.
This year there are 22 kids and 20 seniors from the Winkler Senior Centre and the Gateway Resources senior activity program taking part, sending letters back and forth on a monthly basis.
“It’s an awesome program,” Roberts said. “The kids love it, and it’s a fun opportunity to connect with seniors in our community in a way they normally wouldn’t do … the added bonus is we’re making writing fun for them.”
The program often leaves a lasting impression on the kids.
“I have students from prior years who see their pen pals walking down the hallway and they’re so excited to see them again,” Roberts shared. “Kids in Gr. 8 were coming out of their rooms to say hi to the pen pal they had when they were in grade five or six.”
Gr. 6 students Katelyn, Ben, and Gabe share they’ve been having a blast getting to know their elder counterparts.
“I really liked interacting with the seniors and playing bingo with them,” Gabe said, referring to the Christmas party held earlier this month where the pen pals got the opportunity to meet each other for the first time.
“I love hearing about their stories,” Ben said. “I didn’t know that we actually have a lot in common.”
Ben and his pen pal have shared memories of the many pets they’ve had through the years, and have come to realize they both enjoy crafting.
Katelyn and her pen pal share a love of sports.
“She has a granddaughter in U15 AA, and I play hockey too in U13, so we usually talk about hockey and sports and all that type of stuff,” she said.
It’s been pretty cool, the kids say, to hear about what life was like for their pen pals as kids, and to share a bit about what it’s like to be growing up right now.
For senior participant Mary Ann Sawatzky, that glimpse into modern childhood is what has kept her coming back to the program year after year.
“I really enjoy interacting with younger children, and I think it’s just such a good opportunity to exchange ideas,” she said. “We don’t have any young grandchildren anymore, so this is a really good opportunity to get to know what younger people are thinking nowadays.”
Corresponding with a middle schooler through the year makes it very clear how much children learn and develop in that time, Sawatzky noted.
“Each year the students start off with the letters, by the end of the year you can really see their thought processes have matured and their writing skills have improved. It’s so good to see that.”
Another longtime participant on the senior side of things is Patsy Wharf, a member of the Gateway Resources activity program for retired seniors living with intellectual disabilities.
“This is my third pen pal,” she shared. “What I like about it is you get to meet your pen pal, and write letters to the person you have.”
The Christmas party earlier this month was another highlight for Wharf, who is looking forward to the next gathering of the group in spring.
“We had lots of fun … we won three Bingo games,” she said.
“It is fun writing to school students … learning different things about my pen pal,” Wharf added. “She likes things that I like, and it doesn’t matter that [I am] a senior.”
The program operates with support from a grant the senior centre received from the Manitoba Association of Senior Communities, which helped cover the costs of the goodies at the Christmas party and will also be used for the year-end gathering.
