Back to School at H.O.M.E.: Intergenerational Programs

It’s back to school time!

You might be asking, but H.O.M.E. serves seniors, this time of year must not mean much to you, right? Wrong. Back to school means a lot of activity at H.O.M.E!

At H.O.M.E., we pride ourselves on focusing intergenerational programming that blends families, students, and seniors in social living activities that builds a community and enhances our understanding of one another. In our intergenerational housing, our resident ages range from newborn to 90!

Beyond that, volunteers in both our residences and in the community are often college-aged students or youth groups. Here are just a few ways that H.O.M.E. buzzes with activity this time of year:

• Our school-aged residents at Nathalie Salmon House headed back to school last month.
• Many of our resident assistants began classes in local universities.
• Incoming freshmen at Loyola University Chicago volunteered at Nathalie Salmon House during their orientation week last month.
• Students in Loyola’s Marcella Niehoff School of Nursing’s Community Nursing program began their clinical experience at our shared living residences.
• University of Illinois at Chicago medical students will soon be introduced to their clients in our shared living residences. (read more about this program in our upcoming Fall Newsletter!)
• We have interns from North Park University, the University of Chicago, and Dordt College joining our team this semester.
• Our Weatherization Program is kicking off in October. This is a great activity for student groups!

Back to school also means back to the books. Here are some of H.O.M.E.’s staff favorite books to read. We hope you will stop by your local library book and enjoy some of our top picks:

Amber, Director of Development: I love My Life in France because I love hearing Julia Child’s voice as I read (and re-read it).

Miranda, Marketing Intern: My Favorite would have to be The Secret Garden because my mother would read it to me before bedtime until I stopped asking why Mary Lennox was so rude, and fell asleep.  

Janet, Program Director: The Velveteen Rabbit was a favorite in childhood that continues to be important to me as an adult. His appreciation of the book and its message was one of the things that convinced me that my now-husband was the one.

MikeD., Program Intern: One of my all time favorite books is To Kill A Mockingbird. After not enjoying reading this book in high school, I re-read it and was amazed by how great the story really is. I enjoy it because some of the themes are still relevant in today's society.  

Bruce, Executive Director:  A favorite book as an adult would be What’s So Amazing About Grace, by Philip Yancey. At a time when Christians were becoming known mainly for what they were against Philip described grace as one of the great, often untapped, powers of the universe.

Mike L., Operations Coordinator: I really like The Giving Tree because it  just makes you  imagine how different the world would be if we are all so selfless.

Kevin, Business Manager: I love the work of Ursula K. LeGuin. She writes science fiction and fantasy, including the novel The Dispossessed. Her work transports you into another place and culture, with its own politics, natural environment, and customs. The Dispossessed is a critique of capitalism and communism.

Share some of your favorite books here in the comments!