Contact: Lisa Lipsey, Activity Director
Office Phone: 858/674-9719
Cell Phone: 760/822-3764
E-Mail: lisa@sunshinecare.com
September 24, 2010 Poway CA (North San Diego County) —On Saturday, September 25, 2010 at 2:30 pm, DJ McQuade, daughter of Grandparents Day founder Marian Lucille Herndon McQuade and the National Grandparents Day Council will present the “2010 Forget Me Not Heroes” award to St. Michael’s Catholic School in Poway, California.
The Forget Me Not Heroes Award is an annual, national awards competition. The National Grandparents Day Council encourages eldercare communities and skilled nursing facilities to nominate a group or organization that volunteers to brighten the lives of seniors through an ongoing visiting program or through enhancing their Activity programs. Past winners have included service clubs, church groups and youth organizations. This is the first time an entire school, grades pre-k through fifth grade has won the award!
Saturday’s ceremony will also recognize the winners of the Grandparents Day Essay and Coloring Contest. In partnership with St. Michael’s Catholic School, Sunshine Care sponsored an essay/coloring contest for Pre-School – Fifth grade students that have been participants in Sunshine Care’s weekly intergenerational program, The Great Friendship Link, now in its third year. One winner from each classroom was selected and will receive a framed certificate and a $25 Barnes and Noble gift certificate.
Contest winners include: Reese Covington, Jack Terry, Althea Judy Tabuena, Evelyn Diaz, Katie Felsberg, Hayden Rivera, William Clayton, Nicole DePinto Avilez, Rose Smedley, Emma Dunning, Kennedy Olivia, Carly Tucker, Allison Grygar, Emily Smedley, and Amy Ellis.
About The Great Friendship Link
In 2008 St. Michael’s School principal Kathleen Mock began searching for a program close to school grounds that would provide ways for the lower elementary school children to serve others, she had no idea the answer would be in the school’s own back yard.
“Our mission as a Catholic school is not only to provide an excellent academic education, but to provide opportunities for our students to become involved community members, as this is one of our school’s five School-wide Learning Expectations for each of our students.” said Mock. “We had been searching for a project, so when Lisa Lipsey, the Activity Director from Sunshine Care called with the idea of their intergenerational program called The Great Friendship Link, we knew it would be the perfect fit.” added Mock.
The National Council on Aging defines intergenerational programs as activities or programs that increase cooperation between any two generations. They involve the sharing of skills, knowledge, or experience between old and young.
“We chose St. Michael’s School because we were impressed that they focus on the whole student and that part of their mission is to educate about service and compassion,” said Lipsey.
Using a rotating schedule, preschoolers through third grade visit the assisted living community, which means the residents have a classroom of student visitors every week. The students are paired with residents to learn about current curriculum topics, play games, solve riddles, or just sit and read a good book.
Interestingly, a large majority of the Sunshine Care residents are former teachers, a possible reason for the program’s success. “They still have their long-term skills, so this is a great opportunity for the residents to teach someone something they know about; it provides an avenue for them [the seniors] to give back, too!” Lipsey said.
ABOUT GRANDPARENTS DAY: This day has a threefold purpose: 1. To honor grandparents. 2. To give grandparents an opportunity to show love for their children's children. 3. To help children become aware of the strength, information and guidance older people can offer.
Grandparents-day.com
First Sunday after Labor Day
In 1970, a West Virginia housewife, Marian Lucille Herndon McQuade, initiated a campaign to set aside a special day just for Grandparents. Through concerted efforts on the part of civic, business, church, and political leaders, this campaign expanded statewide. Senator Jennings Randolph (D-WV) was especially instrumental in the project. The first Grandparents Day was proclaimed in 1973 in West Virginia by Governor Arch Moore. Also in 1973, Senator Randolph introduced a Grandparents Day resolution in the United States Senate. The resolution languished in committee.
Mrs. McQuade and her team turned to the media to garner support. They also began contacting governors, senators, and congressmen in every state. And they sent letters to churches, businesses, and numerous national organizations interested in senior citizens. In 1978, five years after its West Virginia inception, the United States Congress passed legislation proclaiming the first Sunday after Labor Day as National Grandparents Day. The proclamation was signed by President Jimmy Carter. (September was chosen for the holiday, to signify the "autumn years" of life.) Today this event, begun by only a few, is observed by millions throughout the United States.
ABOUT ST MICHAEL’S SCHOOL: Established in 1964, nationally recognized St. Michael’s School educates students in Preschool through 8th grade and is fully accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) and the Western Catholic Education Association (WCEA). The mission of the school is to encourage students to embrace the rich heritage of the Catholic faith tradition in an educational setting of compassion, justice, charity, and service. The administration and teaching staff, together with the parents, are dedicated to providing an education that will result in the formation of the whole person - spiritual, moral, emotional, intellectual, and physical. St. Michael’s School admits students of any race, color, religious and ethnic origin. For more information, please visit: http://www.stmichaels-school.org
ABOUT SUNSHINE CARE, POWAY, CALIFORNIA (North San Diego County)
Established in 1990, Sunshine Care is a community of assisted-living homes on a 28-acre Campus in
Poway, California. This unique alternative for assisted living specializes in Alzheimer’s and Dementia
care while providing an environment with all the comforts and reminders of home. Sunshine care
provides the highest level of individualized care and attention that we would want for our own loved
ones. Sunshine Care is also on the cutting edge of activities and going green, from our
intergenerational programming to our organic farming. The campus has an on-site greenhouse and
orchards where organic fruits, vegetables and herbs are grown from seed. For more information,
please visit http://www.sunshinecare.com
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