The smiles were as wide as the heart-shaped cards handcrafted and personally delivered to residents of the Greensboro Nursing Home this Valentine’s Day. Lakeview Elementary students have been busy in art class creating beautiful red and pink hearts with all the trimmings and adorned with personal messages of care and encouragement. On February 14, a group of the students hand-delivered the school’s creations to the facility’s 30 residents, spending a few moments chatting with many along the way. “They were super nice!” commented third grader Scarlet Chernovetz, who had not visited a nursing home before. Sixth grader Nevaeh Nash said, “I would love to go there again.” After the visit the students brainstormed activities they would like to share with the residents given the chance to return. Knitting, art projects, crafting, and reading books topped the list.

Before the pandemic, Lakeview Elementary had a longstanding tradition of connecting with their neighbors down the hill in Greensboro. “I think we had been doing this for about 20 years before the pandemic, and it warms my heart to see this next group of kids jumpstart it again,” said Della Hall, instructional assistant at Lakeview. Art teacher Jayne Donahue, who guided the residents in art therapy for about 22 years prior to COVID, is also looking forward to connecting Lakeview students with the Greensboro Nursing Home residents. “It was so satisfying to see the smiles on all faces—young and older,” stated Mrs. Donahue.

The differences between generations can sometimes seem vast. And sometimes, the separation is as thin as a heart-red piece of construction paper sprinkled with glitter.