Noah’s Ark may have greater name recognition but the 4-H students who showed up at Good Samaritan Society’s Ellsworth Village gave them a run for their money when they brought an ark’s worth of animals to their nursing home friends. Part of an event set up by the students, the animals ranged from horses, goats, cats and others, and were complemented by student presentations and some sweet treats.
“[The residents] love the kids coming out and it just got me thinking of some more groups that we could get involved with,” said activities director Lindsey Tripp. “I have a lot of friends that have kids in the FFA [Future Farmers of America] and 4-H club. So I asked if they could put on a little mini 4-H fair for us and they were happy to do that.”
With Ellsworth’s population just more than 3,000, Tripp was eager to bring the community a little closer together through intergenerational programming. She was especially impressed by how prepared the students were when they arrived at Ellsworth.
“They brought a little speaker and announced their name, ages and what they were showing,” she noted. “They really made it like a show, they had an announcer and announced what everybody had going on. Then we were lucky enough that they [also] visited our assisted living facility down the street.”
With the success of the 4-H fair, Tripp anticipates future visits with bingo, planting flowers, cookie decorating and a lot more. The visits are not just a fun time for residents, they are a trip down memory lane.
“A lot of our residents grew up on a farm, helped on a farm and worked with families that had a farm so it really takes him back to really good memories,” she explained. “They get to reminisce and share their wisdom and knowledge of all the things that they did when they were younger. We also have some residents that don’t have any family members or kids come visit so it gives them the opportunity to interact with the youth and have meaningful visits with different people.”
