Our Mission

My Grandfoster Program is designed to promote the relationship between the elderly of our community with those of our younger generation, similar to a grandparent/grandchild bond.  This would be a strategic match put together where two people of two different generations get to develop a relationship and a friendly bond with one another.  The elderly of our community would get to see their "grandfoster" on a regular basis.  The idea is that they both develop a personal relationship and a deeper understanding of one another’s lives and generations.  Within my community, I would like to be an advocate for the elderly.  I want to make a difference in their lives and among the two generations by developing a one-to-one mentoring and inspiring relationship between sets of grandfosters.

I chose to lead this grandfoster project because I have a keen interest in helping and working with the elderly. I want to build those connections, and I love to see the interaction between the two generations. I feel there is so much that we can learn from the elderly, but also see the need for that younger interaction with our elderly.  I love working with the elderly and find joy in bringing smiles to their faces when visiting them and being there for them to talk to and create a bond with. I think this project would be a great way to make many of our elderly feel as though they have a close connection with at least one individual outside of any family.  I also see the advantage of continuing this program and making it a lasting and sustaining project for those to follow.  I feel this project will help all those involved and help broaden these lasting and influential connections to make their lives and relationships with one another more meaningful.  With so many age-related factors that we see in our elderly, I also feel the need for students to understand both the science and emotional influences they one day may be facing.  My mission is to foster these relationships and have students and our elderly benefit from the interactions and special relationships that they have come to build.