Vitalia Active Adult Community – Rockside Brings Story Corner to the Community

Planetary Scientist Carl Sagan once said, “One of the greatest gifts adults can give – to their offspring and to their society – is to read to children.”

Putting books into the hands of children and forming meaningful intergenerational relationships is a priority for Arrow Senior Living communities! To support our efforts, we have launched what we call “Arrow Story Corner.” Each month a resident records the reading of a children’s book that highlights an “Arrow Tradition,” and these stories are shared online for all to hear. This tradition has grown from our company-wide Black History Month Story Corners, where residents all around Arrow Communities read children’s books highlighting black figures in history.

To support small businesses and literacy efforts, we host a fundraiser and partner with the EyeSeeMe Children’s Bookstore to purchase and donate copies of the books we read to local schools, and then a portion of our fundraising efforts also support The EyeSeeMe Foundation. The Foundation’s mission is to create programs that increase childhood literacy for under-served communities and to promote African American History and multicultural literature that will increase respect and tolerance for diverse cultures.

This month, Vitalia Active Adult Community – Rockside is taking things a step further and embarking on the adventure of monthly Story Corner events in our community. One of our very own residents will read the Story Corner book of the month to children, as well as other residents, and share in a craft event and snack time. The featured book will then be added to our community library for residents to read to visiting grandchildren. A copy of the book will also be donated to local schools with which our community partners.

Story Corner is a perfect opportunity for residents to build intergenerational relationships with not only their grandchildren, but with children from our partnering schools, and our staff’s children. Intergenerational relations are so important for both parties. By reading these books together they will be able to share laughs, memories, and build conversation. 

We currently have two school partnerships, an elementary school and a high school. There are many ways that Story Corner can be involved with both partnerships. Highschoolers can come in and read to the residents and children or we can take residents to the elementary school for a reading session.

So far, we have had one resident from our community as a Story Corner reader. She loved participating in this activity so much and loved being able to send the video to her out-of-state grandchildren. Even though she lives far away, she was still able to read them a story, which means so much to her.

Residents loved to read Goodnight Moon as well as any Dr Seuss book to their grandchildren. These are classic stories that can be passed on from generation to generation.

All our Arrow communities encourage adults to give the gift of reading to youngsters. The relationships formed during the time spent between the reader and listener can be life changing for both generations.