CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Several Myers Park High School students have created a bond with residents at a senior-living community while getting a chance to learn life-skills.
They said it's also removing some misconceptions between the generations.
Junior Alphonzo McDonald is one of about a dozen Myers Park High School students with developmental disabilities who volunteer at the senior community each month.
“I help set the dining room. I volunteer in the kitchen. Sometimes I play games with them, McDonald said.
Charis Begley is the life enrichment director at Waltonwood Cotswold.
She told said this partnership helps the students learn life and work skills.
“We set them up in housekeeping. We set them up in culinary. We set them up in activities all over the place to be able to learn from different departments,” Begley said.
But it's not all work. The students and seniors play pool, cornhole and even break some barriers.
“There’s misconceptions from the older generation and there's the misconceptions from the younger generation. They've been able to learn a lot from each other,” Begley said.
McDonald said he's learned a lot about what he might want to do in the future.
“I signed up yesterday for my classes next year. I actually want to try culinary arts,” he said.
Waltonwood Cotswold said this inter-generational program has been such a success, they plan to keep it going for next school year.