In late 2015, Senior Services for South Sound’s Board of Director’s decided to make the Sharing Teens and Elders Program (STEP) part of our organization.
It wasn’t a difficult decision as the value of STEP for the elders who participate is immediately clear. STEP provides much needed companionship and value to the lives of the elders, gives opportunity to interact with others, and helps them share their own wealth of knowledge.
Linda Terry started STEP as a one-time session at the request of her own children. Everyone who attended loved it so much they asked that it continue. Linda has now facilitated over 100 sessions of STEP and even though her own children have graduated her commitment to the program remains just as strong.
It was also clear that the program was wanting to grow at a pace that Linda could no longer manage alone. Making the program part of Senior Services means that we could start fundraising to support a part-time paid position for Linda to run and grow the program making it available for more elders and more teens in our community.
STEP provides opportunities for Teens to have meaningful conversations and interactions with seniors. It also provides leadership skills as the Teens are responsbile for helping to create content for the program and in recruiting other teens to be part of the program.
Peggy, one of our STEP Elders, doesn’t have any grandchildren and now she feels like she "has an entire room of grandchildren!” Due to heart issues she only has the energy to do a few things a week, but when she knows that STEP is coming up she, “saves all my energy to make sure I can make it.”
She also shared how wonderful the STEP Teens are, “They are top notch. So easy to communicate with. No matter how horrible I feel going in, I always leave feeling much better.”
Will you partner with us by making a contribution to Senior Services for STEP to ensure it is here for future generations of teens and elders?
Are you sure?
