By Andrew S., Seventh Grade
I started talking with a Senior Citizen from the Sabes JCC during Heilicher@Home. This is a program set up by Heilicher and the JCC to make sure their seniors are okay during this hard time and stay connected to the community. What better way to do that than with students who share the same building with them?
When I first called my senior friend, I expected to get a voicemail or an angry “Who is this!” Instead, I got a nice, “Hi, who is this?” From that point on I knew this would be fun. Heilicher gave students a script and prompts we could follow to help get the conversation started. I started out just sticking to the script, but it quickly changed to small talk, friend to friend. We had real conversations about how to stay Jewish and how we participate in Jewish traditions and services, we also discovered we are both Twins and Vikings fans!
We went from talking on the phone once a week to now talking on the phone and even texting each other 3-4 times a week. I would like to thank my senior buddy for making me feel so welcome and for being a great person to open up to. I am so grateful for this opportunity and hope one day soon we can meet in person in the halls of the JCC.
