Mature Services, Inc., Akron, Ohio

(Adapted from an article by Bill Lilley that ran in the Beacon Journal on February 18, 2008)

A dozen senior citizens, 20 students from Our Lady of the Elms High School and a poem about the environment written more than 100 years ago might not seem like a natural mix. But that's the equation Inese Alvarez, program director for the Retired & Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP), and Marcie Bircher, moderator for the Elms Social Services Club, used to drive an effort to put eco-friendly lighting in low-income housing. The five-session program with the students and the senior volunteers kicked off with a presentation by University of Akron physics professor Larry Varner and a reading of God's Grandeur by Gerard Manley Hopkins at the Akron high school. The culmination of the project was the installation of eco-friendly lights in Akron Metropolitan Housing Authority (AMHA) units on April 15, 2008 and an evaluation of the program on April 23, the day after Earth Day.

"Our primary goals for our students are to educate and raise the level of awareness about the environment," Bircher said. "It's great that we can take this program into the lives of the AMHA folks. We will work to educate them, as well, on the environmental issues we're dealing with and present them with energy-efficient light bulbs." Five Elms students and six senior volunteers first got together in fall 2007 when Alvarez was holding sessions called Civic Reflections. "It was initially set up to get a better understanding between mature adults and young adults," she said, "and it was really great how the teen-aged students and the volunteers, all of whom are over 55, bonded to each other." Alvarez was so impressed with the group interaction that she wanted to expand the program. The Elms students who had been involved in the fall jumped at the opportunity.

"What's great is that you initially get two different perceptions because of the difference in age," said Elms senior Bekah Frient of North Canton. "But then you come to realize that both groups are working together toward the same goal. 'Sure, we have different opinions because of the different ages. And different questions are raised. But that's great and I thought it was really great to work together with an older person."

Bircher said one of the hidden benefits of the program is that it promotes a lifetime of community service. "The RSVP volunteers are such wonderful role models," she said, "and they go a long way to show our kids that serving your community goes on throughout your life. It doesn't end when high school ends."