Intergenerational Program Benefits - What do Forever Friends have to say?
“Out of the mouths…”
Here are some selected thoughts from 2nd graders about their Forever Friends.
   
Sara
In our class we have Forever Friends. My Forever Friend is Miss Q. She is sooo nice! I think it is important to have an elder as a friend because you can learn from each other. I like having Forever Friends because you do things together. We get together about once or twice a month. It’s also important because you get to know new friends. Miss Q is happy all the time. We do fun things together and go on field trips together. Miss Q and I laugh, talk and sometimes read books together. She always has a smile on her face. I absolutely love it when we get together!
   
Brendan
My Forever Friend's name is Miss P. When we see each other we talk about how we’ve been. We’ve gone to the Health Education Center and lots of other places. Kids need older friends because they teach kids what it’s like to be old. Plus they get to meet older people. I learned from Mrs. P that hearing is sometimes hard for old people. When you’re old you don’t just sit around! I think kids and elders should get together because they pretty much don’t get together so much. It’s a great way to learn about elders! It’s great to have Mrs. P because she smiles a lot!
   
Oliver
My Forever Friend is very nice. Here name is Mrs. S. Once she moved down the hall. I came to help her move. We go on field trips together. We do lots of things together. Every kid has a Forever Friend. The planetarium was fun! All the field trips were fun! We do lots of things together. We have been together all the school year. At the starting of the year we went to their building where they live. They are like our grandma or grandpa!
   
Sammy
My Forever Friends name is Mrs. R. The last time I saw her, I gave her a Sammy Beanie Baby just like my Sammy Beanie Baby! I think kids should have friends because lots of people think kids can only play with kids their own age. We went on lots of field trips too. When I went to St. John’s Tower for the first time we brought lots of questions with us. My Forever Friend answered lots of them. I share my Forever Friend with Matt. Some of the Forever Friends have problems but that doesn’t matter. My Forever Friend doesn’t have any problems.
   
Caroline
My Forever Friend is Mrs. A. We have Forever Friends pins to wear whenever we’re together. She never forgets to wear hers. I never forget to wear mine either. I think it’s important to have older friends because you can learn things from each other. You can know what went on so long ago and know what goes on now. You can share secrets with each other and you’ll always have a friend. I like going on field trips together. There’s just one we haven’t gone on together. I think it’s very special to have a Forever Friend. My Forever Friend's room number is 6121. I’ve never been in it. Miss Power sometimes goes and puts stuff from me into Mrs. A’s mailbox on her door. I put the numbers 6121 on the projects I do for her. Then Miss Power knows which mailbox to put them in. I like Mrs. A. I am very glad we have Forever Friends. Miss Power is great. I’m glad I’m in her class.
   
Katie
My Forever Friend is Betty R. We go on field trips together! We learned things from each other. We have pins that have our pictures with us in them. I learned a lot of things from Mrs. R from the old days. Mrs. R has a little hearing problem but it does not bother me!
   
Aliza
My Forever Friend's name is Marion S. Together we like to talk and go on field trips. We learn a lot from our Forever Friends. Forever Friends are nice, loving, caring, smart and good friends to everyone. Everyone in my class has a Forever Friend. Without our Forever Friends our field trips would not be so much fun! We had a field trip to St. John’s Tower. It was the best field trip! My Forever Friend came two days in a row because first she came to the art Gallery Opening and the second day she came to school because we made bat houses! She is really nice, smart, kind loving and pretty. Miss S is the best Forever Friend anyone could have. She likes everyone’s stuff but she loves my stuff the best!
   
Sean
I think that having an older person is good. It doesn’t matter if they’re older. Mr. R taught me that life is not easy in the old times. It was very hard and there weren’t freezers or microwaves. They used to have big ice blocks and the iceman would give the kids a chunk of ice on hot summer days. My friend died but he will always be in my heart. Still it seems like he did not die but my friend is sharing her Forever Friend and I love her too. And the friend I now have is Mrs. O.
   
Miss O is my forever friend. She took me to dinner with her and played with me too. She loves me and she is a good friend to me. She knows Rickey too and went to dinner with him. Rickey is my cousin. She is nice. She is pretty. She goes to church. She took me to the library. She was a nurse in Africa. She helped moms have babies.
   
Ellie
My Forever Friends name is Mrs. J. We met our Forever Friends at St. John’s Tower. There was an exercise room there and a hospital and a plaza. Mrs. J lived in the country and went to school in a buggy. She came from Norway.
   
Gina
My Forever Friend. On the way to Saint John’s I was very, very excited! I could not wait to meet my Forever Friend. When we got there we drew pictures of them. Then they showed us around. My Forever Friend’s name is Mrs. C. Mrs. C is very nice. I like Mrs. C because she is very, very nice to me and she likes doing projects. Mrs. C's hair is gray and her eyes are blue. For Halloween I carried a jack-o-lantern with a candle in it. Mrs. C walked to school and if she was really lucky she would get a ride to school.