The CoVID19 Pandemic left millions of older adults feeling trapped, scared, further isolated and at risk. All of our Sweet Readers and Young Leaders were also disrupted from their school life. In an immediate call to action dozens of students came together spanning fifth graders to college juniors to help by collaboratively creating Sweet Readers CONNECT. An online platform of our programs which enabled us to connect young people ages 11 to 19 with isolated older adults in need through hundreds of programs starting in March, 2020 and bridging communities across 11 states and Canada.
Deep gratitude to Chris Allio, our Sweet Readers, Young Leaders, Nicole Dreyfus, our generous community partners and the families and care partners of Sweet Readers, Young Leaders and Adult Participants for making that possible.