Middle school campers and senior citizens recently got together at Catholic Charities Senior Communities at Reister’s View and Reister’s Clearing in Glyndon, Maryland. The campers’ visit is an annual ritual for the Sacred Heart of Glyndon Summer Day Camp. Each year, a group of campers hikes over from the church (about 2 miles away) to spend the morning with the seniors. They hear presentations from the seniors, then play games together while the campers take turns providing free car and wheelchair washes.
Camper friends Mystee and Maddy found the seniors “fun and friendly,” with “interesting stories to tell.” The two friends also enjoy doing their service hours together and then going to another fun camp activity in the afternoon. The seniors had fun telling their stories and appreciated the car washes on a very hot day.
The Catholic Charities Senior Communities managers seek to involve their residents in activities in the surrounding communities. While the residents enjoy living independently, many of them live too far from their families to see them daily and value chances to get to know their neighbors in the building and in the adjoining neighborhood. As the Sacred Heart campers discovered, the seniors have interesting stories as well as valuable skills to share.