Aug. 10, 2011                                                               For Further Information:

                                                                                      Bob Loeb, 586.8840, 261.8840

                                                                                      Jennifer Clar, 760.1334

Invitation for News Coverage

EVENT:                         Quest for Knowledge: Children & Seniors Learning Together

DATE:                            Friday, August 12^th from 9:00 am to 1:00 pm.

LOCATION:                   St. John’s Home, 150 Highland Ave. (off of South Ave.)

Photographers & videographers: this is a great opportunity for scenes and images of children and seniors interacting, sharing and inspiring.

Reporters: get some great comments from participants about this truly inspirational experience.

On Friday, August 12, 50 children from The Boys & Girls Club and Sojourner House will spend the     morning with the elder residents of St. John’s Home, learning, reading, cooking, drumming, crafting together.  It will be hard to tell who is having more fun and enjoyment – the children or the elders.

“This is one of the most anticipated and enjoyable activities for our residents,” says Kit Pollicove, president of the St. John’s Foundation. “Children and senior inspire and delight each other, which is what we hope to accomplish on August 12th.”

“St. John’s is grateful to Bob and Mary Hastings for sponsoring this event.”

The children range in age from 8 to 10. After a welcome in the St. John’s Auditorium, they’ll break up into five groups of 10 and rotate through a variety of “learning labs,” where they’ll participate in activities with St. John’s residents.  Specifically, the rotations run from 9:30 through noon:

Reading Station

This intergenerational focus connects and builds the elder/child relationship by having children read to elders.

 Nutrition Station

Each group of children makes part of the lunch:  Tossed Salad, English Muffin Pizzas, Fruit Salad, Dirt Cups (pudding with Oreo cookies) and Root Beer Floats with assistance from elders.

Art Station 

Each group decorates an outdoor chair with paint, magazine cutouts, glitter, objects to glue on, etc.  At the end of the day, the Hastings will be presented with one chair as a thank you and St. John’s will display the remaining four. The children will be mentored by elders from the St. John’s Art in the Studio Group.   

Music Station

Children will learn about rhythm and play rhythm and other instruments. After a short overview of rhythms, they’ll play along with the St. John’s elder drum circle. 

Science Station

Tim Cawley from the Rochester Museum and Science Center will present on “polymers”; experiments will include the making of “slime”, turning a plastic milk jug into a plastic bag, inserting bamboo skewers through balloons, and extraction of DNA from a banana.

After successfully completing the activity, each child receives an appropriate gift - a calculator, crayons, markers, books, healthy snacks, MP3 player, etc. – with the idea that the gift will encourage them to pursue more of what they learned.  Plus, each child gets a tee-shirt and a back-pack.

The Quest for Knowledge event is sponsored by Pittsford residents Bob and Mary Hastings (of Bob Hastings Buick GMC); Mary Hastings is a former school teacher and has a long time interest in the education of children.  Bob and Mary are also long-time supporters of St. John’s Home.

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Reporters, photographers and TV crews:  Ask for Jennifer Clar at the reception desk and you’ll be taken right to where the action is.

We don't stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing.

 George Bernard Shaw, Irish Playwright