The 6th-grade students of Hershorin Schiff Community Day School and the residents of Aviva Senior Living have joined forceS to create an intergenerational garden that transcends age barriers and showcases the shared values of both groups. The students worked side-by-side with Aviva residents to design, plant and cultivate the garden that is now housed on the second floor of Aviva’s assisted living building.  “When you put two different generations together, the results are often incredible,” says Maria Leonardo, Aviva’s director of life enrichment and volunteer programs. “I've seen such blooming out of both. It feels like we're doing a good deed–a mitzvah as we say in Hebrew—and yes, we are doing a mitzvah because we are doing something for someone else; however, that is not what intergenerational programming is about. It’s a bigger picture that's more about how people learn to work together to understand and respect one another–it’s true collaboration.” Community Day School 6th grade teachers, Mrs. Briggs and Mrs. Worth, have worked closely with Leonardo at Aviva. From planning and design to planting and reflection, the teachers have guided the students through every step of the process. Along with Leonardo, they ordered planters and bought the plants. The students and residents then put the plants in the pots and worked on feeding the soil and cultivating the plants. Each student/senior team then put their names on the pots they worked on, creating a lasting memory for all to see. “This initiative has truly been a labor of love,” says Mrs. Briggs. “Opportunities like this give the students knowledge about things like empathy and charity—things that we can’t teach them in a classroom. It’s been incredible to see them work alongside the Aviva residents and form meaningful relationships.”  Nola, one of the students who participated in the project, enjoyed the experience so much that she is considering working with the seniors for her upcoming mitzvah project. “One of the women I met at Aviva was turning 102!” she said. “I would have never guessed she was that age—she was a really cool lady.” 

“With the way things are in the world presently and the changes in education, children are often not exposed to very many community service projects,” says Leonardo. “Community Day School is very proactive. They understand this need and we have a wonderful relationship with them. We have some terrific pictures of the kids and seniors with their hands in the dirt. When you look at the photos, you can see the difference in their ages, but you can also see the common goal. They were all working together to beautify our second floor.” More than just a pretty addition to the second floor of Aviva, the growing garden is like a powerful metaphor for nurturing the things that shape our future. The garden, like the children, requires care, attention and patience. “The children are the promise of tomorrow,” adds Leonardo. “For our residents, it's hope that maybe the young people of today will be thinking about tomorrow—that they’ll be actively engaged in preserving the environment and thinking about the world they will inherit.”