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Students exchange letters, spend time with the elderly in Fair Oaks

Elizabeth A. Elliott | Catholic Herald Staff Writer

Jahan Kabadi (left), sits with seniors as Brendan Gaucher prepares to throw a beanbag. COURTESY

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Sixth-grader Clara Condon (left) gets ready to throw a beanbag with Joanne Biagi during a recent game at Sunrise Senior Living in Fair Oaks with . The students also are pen pals with the seniors, writing letters to them every two weeks. COURTESY

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Seniors have stories to tell, but they don’t always have someone
to listen.

That’s where students from St. Timothy School in Chantilly come
in — as pen pals and visitors to seniors at Sunrise Senior Living in Fair Oaks.

Christina Zorn, physical education teacher at St. Timothy,
started the program last year.

“I had a puppy that I wanted to bring in as a therapy dog to the
nursing home/assisted living facility because when my grandmother was in an
assisted living home she loved the dogs that came to visit,” Zorn said. “I
started working with my advisory at about the same time and decided to figure
out a way that the students could also become involved in providing
companionship to the elderly.”

Her 10 students from sixth through eighth grade write letters to
seniors every two weeks.

“I told them they weren’t always going to get letters back and
shouldn’t expect something in return,” she said.

Jacqueline Norcross, a seventh-grader, looks forward to writing
letters and visiting the residents. “It makes me happy to see the residents
smile, laugh with me and my peers, and see them genuinely happy,” she said.

This year they are expanding the program to include monthly visits
to the senior center. Recently, they played games with the seniors and had a
Halloween party.   

“The students and seniors are enjoying it,” Zorn said. “It gives
faces to the names they are writing to.”

Matthew Pyster, activity and volunteer assistant at Sunrise, said
the seniors enjoyed the chance to reflect on their lives when they were writing
the students.

“The student visits made it a tangible experience and the seniors
got to have a little vitality having the kids run around,” he said. “Having a
letter shows someone cares.” 

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