Storied Lives is a service opportunity over the summer that involves writing creatively and spending time with a senior citizen. Jaclyn Lupo, the WMMHS student organizing the program this summer, described it as being “a unique opportunity where two disconnected generations get to learn from each other and share how life has changed over the years.”

The schedule for the program is fairly flexible beginning at the end of June and ending at the middle of August with a mandatory opening ceremony and closing. The student volunteer meets with their senior citizen three to four times in order to sufficiently learn enough information to construct their creative piece about the story of their senior citizen counterpart’s life story.

Some of the benefits that Lupo cites for the program include the uniqueness of the experience and the community service hours that can be gained from participating in the program. Lupo says, “I cannot wait to meet my paired person and hear their story. I have heard only positive things from people who have done it before.” This year, though, Lupo is also honored to be the one running and organizing the event. “My role is to make sure every volunteer follows the schedule and meets with their pairing multiple times,” she explains. “Basically, I’m keeping things organized so things run smoothly on both ends.”

Storied Lives allows students to form a bond with a demographic that most teens do not interact with much. Many senior citizens have lived whole, rich lives. “I think it is such an amazing thing to be able to hear someone else’s story” Lupo remarks.

The Storied Lives program is open to all current juniors, so going into the senior year over the summer, who are taking IB-HL/AP English. While students must apply in order to be accepted, acceptance is also a first come first serve basis. Currently, all of the spots are taken for this summer, but for all interested sophomores and freshmen, they can keep Storied Lives in mind for next summer or the summer after. “This event is a rare opportunity I hope students get the chance to participate in,” Lupo explains. “I am so excited for the summer!

For more information, here is the Storied Lives website for more info: http://storiedlivesprogram.org/about.html

Photo courtesy of Storied Lives™.