Making Connections in My Community by Eliza

Making Connections in My Community by Eliza - January 2024 Scholarship Essay

Opening the mailbox, I see the yellow card addressed to me. It’s from my grandmother but it’s not her familiar handwriting, it’s just a loopy scribble. Alzheimer’s robbed her of the ability to correspond with me, and the pandemic made it worse. She wasn’t the only senior suffering; hundreds in my community were depressed and anxious after a lockdown in assisted living homes.

After months of social isolation, I realized I could ease the feelings of loneliness and despair for some. I founded San Dieguito Pen Pals, a club pairing elderly citizens with high school students. We wrote letters in hopes of showing them that they were heard, loved, and supported. I found writing to seniors helped me cope with my grandmother’s condition. She was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s six years ago and I’ve watched the disease transform this brilliant, caring flight instructor into a scared, shell of a person.

To start the club, I located two assisted living homes in my neighborhood and contacted the enrichment advisers. They were excited at the prospect of connecting retirees with teenagers. Once I had the go-ahead from the homes, I had to receive permission from the school. This required plenty of paperwork. The next task? Recruitment. I reached out to friends and classmates. From there I created a Google spreadsheet and Classroom to manage communication and chose two co-captains to divide and conquer the work. We started holding bi-weekly meetings but found most members were busy with schoolwork and athletics. To get information out, I texted those who couldn’t attend.

In the beginning, it wasn’t a success. We didn’t receive letters back. The problem? I discovered most residents in retirement homes don’t have writing tools. We changed course and started including self-addressed, stamped envelopes and stationery. Success!

The letters started coming in and I began looking forward to going to the mailbox again. Club members shared stories from their pen pals. My personal favorite, Natalie from New York, has a pension for sweets. Senior year proved tricky and this savvy, retired nurse gave me advice on how to navigate the challenging waters.

What started as a crusade to support senior citizens grew into mutually beneficial relationships. For me, it was even more impactful. Now, I can read my pen pal letters to my grandmother. Even if she doesn’t fully understand what is being said, I can tell through her smile that she is glad I’m there.