Terrace Residents helping students become the best they can be
Written by: Clare Favela
Monday, April 3, 2017
A few months ago, one of my little sisters received $50 from an anonymous donor through the Archdiocese of Chicago with the task to give back to the community. She could have just donated the money but, instead decided to think of a project that would impact people throughout the year. (Ambitious hope for $50!)
With mom’s help, she considered many options, bounced ideas off many people but couldn’t decide between the young and the old.
Fortunately for us (all eight siblings) our mom is the real Wonder Woman! She patiently went the extra mile with my little sister to find what she would really want to do. Once my little sister made her decision, she gave it a name: Growing in Wisdom through Friendship.
Growing in Wisdom through Friendship logo
She talked me into helping her design a logo that best suits the name and decided with a drawing of a somewhat intricate tree with different colored leaves next to a plant that is just beginning to grow. The logo shows that through the program the students will be able to learn about their elders’ lives and gain wisdom through the choices they made and the experience they obtained from life and pass it on to the children so that they may continue to grow into the best they can be.
Although it is only a few months old, the program seems to be making a lasting impression on the young and older persons who have signed up for the project. My sister set up five pairs of pen pals; each with a Resident of Jugan Terrace and a middle school student. The participants have learned more about each other and are always excited to find a letter from their pen pal waiting for them.
The advice, by the way, is proving effective both ways; kids have a lot of tech knowledge to offer their Jugan Terrace pen pal. Both sides of the pen pal teams grow in wisdom by corresponding with each other, and it helps them learn to maintain a friendship.
The project will likely exceed my little sister’s expectation of lasting a year!
Growing in Wisdom through Friendship