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Kids sing to seniors
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Jahmaray Williams puts some emphasis on a song about gingerbread men as E.J. Blott students entertained at Levy Gardens on Wednesday.
By Jeanne Starmack
Liberty
The enticing scent of freshly baked pumpkin cookies was everywhere on the first floor at Levy Gardens.
Manya Tsitrin, a volunteer who bakes “dozens and dozens” of cookies every month for residents at the assisted-living apartments on Granada Avenue, was busy Wednesday in the kitchenette around the corner from the building’s front door.
Tsitrin’s visit couldn’t have come at a better time, said Ronna Marlin, who coordinates programs for the residents.
Because about 1:30 p.m., a first-grade class from E.J. Blott Elementary School would be filing through the door of a large first-floor room to entertain most of the building’s 25 residents with songs, poems and dancing.
Kids and cookies — they’re a natural fit.
The kids’ teacher, Katie Bengala, has been melding another great fit — kids and senior citizens.
“I’ve done this for six years with my kids,” said Bengala, who teaches one of five first-grade classes at the school.
“It’s a great way for kids to give back to the community,” she said.
It’s a lesson for them as well, she pointed out. They learn the two generations have a lot in common — “these people were young, too.”
It’s a concept that’s hard for them to understand at first, she said.
Over the course of several visits a year to Levy Gardens though, they get it — and they’re happy to be there.
Under the direction of Susan Boye, E.J. Blott’s music teacher, they performed a half-dozen songs and recited a poem.
There was some squealing, jumping up and down and clapping, largely after the announcement there would be cookies.
It was, as representatives from both ends of the generational spectrum said, a satisfying experience for everyone.
“I love the children,” said resident Toni Pizzulo, who was a school secretary in the Youngstown district and raised five kids of her own.
She considers it her favorite program, adding that there are plenty of them at Levy Gardens.
From the kids’ perspective, the program is a great deal.
Annabelle Smith and Tyler Merric-Sierra enjoy “making things” — like the snowman-stickers they would be crafting that day.
“I like making people happy and being friendly,” said Jahmaray Williams.