DeForest Area School District
LINK-ages | LINK-ages consists of school and community people committed to expanding intergenerational activities in the DeForest area since 1992. Its mission is to develop and support programs and activities in the schools and community that mutually benefit students, families, and older adults. Meetings are held monthly during the school year. |
LINK-ages Committee
Current Active Members:
Judy French, Community Volunteer
Sue Miller, DeForest Area Senior/Community Center Volunteer Coordinator
Karen Laufenberg, Community Volunteer
Debbie Brewster, Coordinator of School/Community Relations
Sharon Ganster, Reading Teacher, EPES
High School National Honor Society Student Representative
The committee also works closely with RSVP of Dane County
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| Mission: To develop intergenerational programs of mutual benefit in meeting the needs of students, families, and older persons in the DeForest Area community. Long-Range Goals: To support the school district in strengthening its community collaboration efforts. To expand opportunities for mutually beneficial interaction between youth and older persons. To promote one-to-one relationships between students and older persons. To support development of activities which promote lifelong learning. To increase understanding of the aging process.
| A Sampling of Programs, past and present
| SENIORS' PROM bringing older adults and high school students together for an evening of music and dance. | | ANNUAL BINGO PARTY is held in March at the DeForest Area Community/Senior Center. With help from high school National Honor Society members who have worked behind the scenes to fund and collect over a hundred prizes, the event draws an enthusiastic crowd. | | ANNUAL BREAKFAST FOR OLDER ADULTS is held annually at the DeForest Area Senior/Community Center on a Saturday in January. High school musicians perform for this popular activity. | | COMMUNITY READING PROGRAM brings families, students, and the community together to read and discuss the same book. | | DEFOREST AREA PUBLIC LIBRARY offers intergenerational programming. This includes family programming such as Concerts and Movies in the Park, along with senior outreach special events. Library programs and ongoing interest groups are open to everyone in the community. | | ESSAY CONTEST in the spring is a statewide competition encouraging sixth graders to share experiences about a favorite older adult. | | GRANDPARENTS DAY, an annual event in May, brings hundreds of grandparents and older adults into the schools, district-wide, to enjoy lunch and special programs. Visitors to the high school enjoy a reception preceding a play performance. | | PEN PALS write to each other throughout the school year and meet at social events. The program pairs older adults with children in elementary classrooms. Computer Buddies are pen pals via email. | | YOUTH READER at the DeForest ARea Senior Center reads to older adults through the program "Whetting Your Appetite." This intergenerational activity is both entertaining and informative. | | TRICK OR TREAT NIGHT at DeForest Area High School brings hundreds of youngsters to the building to enjoy treats and entertainment provided high school organizations with scores of volunteers. | | MEALS-ON-WHEELS favors and bags decorated by elementary students bring a smile to shut-ins along with their meal. |
| Inter-generational Project Statistics
2009-2010
| Older Adults | Students | | | 48 | 7 | Bingo Party at DeForest Senior/Community Center | | 38 | 11 | Saturday Breakfast for Older Adults | | 1048 | Gr. 1-12 | District-wide Lunches (1048)/ Reception for Older Adults (unkown) | | 20 | 21 | DMS Gr. 6 BIO-Link (Biography/oral history projects started with 9 adults in 1992) | | 16 | Reading Fun & Games with Sherri Rogalla, DASD Reading Coordinator
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| 37 | Kindergarten Project (21 6th graders and
16 kindergartners) | 21 | 167 | Wisconsin Association of Senior Citizens essay contest ("my Best Older Friend" or "My Grandparents") | | Undetermined | 7-50 per event | NHS, Alternative High School, and Drama Club Events: Thanksgiving dinner, community holiday activities, Koats for Kids, Dragonfest | | 349+ DAHS Students/Adults | 676 | Annual Halloween Trick-or-Treat at High School (sponsored by NHS) | 165 attendees during 5 weeks
| 1 | Student Reading Program - "Whetting Your Appetite for Books" (5-months) | 15
| 30 | Seniors' Prom | | 3 | 108 | Badger Cup/Homeless Project with Emerson School, Madison, WI (108 sixth graders helped over 50 Madison elementary school students) | | 70 | 8 | Play previews (fall and spring) | 64
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| Computer Buddies
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| Concert in the Park (LINK-ages sponsored one night during the summer) = 90 attendees (young and old)
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| | Intergenerational activities build assets externally and internally for children and older adults. Children receive support from non-parent adults; perceive that community adults value youth; feel safe in home, school, and neighborhood; have adult, positive behavior models; and are motivated to do well in school. Older adults receive companionship, assistance at home or at community centers, a fresh outlook on life, and an increase in self-esteem. | Thank you to our RSVP partners! Visit them on the web:
http://www.rsvpdane.org/ |
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School/Community Relations Home Page
842-6581
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Last Updated: Wednesday, 26 October 2011
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