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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Barbara Nitzberg (914) 654-5285 |
COLLEGE STUDENTS CONNECT WITH SENIORS IN
WESTCHESTER THROUGH INTERGENERATIONAL PROJECT
NEW ROCHELLE, NY, November 15, 2004 --
Thanks to a grant from the Helen Andrus Benedict Foundation, seven
undergraduate students majoring in social work at The College of New
Rochelle’s School of Arts & Sciences (SAS) are participating in an
intergenerational project with senior citizens at the Hugh Doyle Senior
Center in New Rochelle. The students, all juniors, are enrolled in a
course on Social Welfare Institutions. Currently in a pilot phase
through mid-December 2004, the College’s project will continue in
spring 2005 using another social work course as its focus. CNR is
among 11 Westchester County projects being funded by the Andrus
Foundation. This project marks the first time Andrus has awarded grants
for intergenerational projects and also the first project of this type
at CNR.
“This effort will offer numerous benefits,” said Dr. Judith Gordon,
Associate Professor of Social Work at SAS. “It will help students
increase their understanding of the behavior of the elderly, the main
environmental factors affecting the seniors’ lives, and the impact of
social welfare institutions (Medicare, Social Security, and SSI) on
their lives. The project will benefit seniors by helping them
cultivate relationships with young adults and giving them opportunities
to tell their life stories.”
Once students are paired up with 1-2 seniors, they will meet twice a
week at the Doyle Center to get to know each other and enjoy shared
activities. In addition to one-on-one meetings between the students and
the seniors, participants will go on outings to places such as the
Castle Gallery at CNR and to visit the StoryCorps Booth at Grand
Central Station in New York City. Spanish speaking seniors will
be paired with bilingual students to facilitate communication. In
the StoryCorps Booth, students will conduct interviews with the
seniors, which will then be recorded on broadcast-quality CDs and
become a part of the collection at the Library of Congress.
Participants will also receive a copy of their CD as a souvenir.
The Hugh Doyle Senior Center currently serves more than 100 seniors who
live in New Rochelle near the facility with an array of activities,
lunch, and assistance in daily living tasks. The seniors, primarily of
Italian, Irish, and Latino heritage, range in age from 60 to 95 years
old.
The first Catholic college for women in New York State,
The
College of New Rochelle was founded in 1904 by the Ursuline Order.
Today,
it comprises the all-women School of Arts & Sciences, and three
schools
which admit women and men: the School of New Resources (for adult
learners),
the School of Nursing and the Graduate School. The main campus of
the College is located in lower Westchester County, 16 miles north of
New York City. The College maintains six other campus locations
in New York
City. Visit the College’s website at www.cnr.edu
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