The Buddy Program is a long standing partnership between The Greens at Greenwich and Sacred Heart Greenwich. This program aims to build community and serve as a valuable resource for students and the senior citizens. The Greens at Greenwich is an organization with the mission of providing care for senior citizens diagnosed with Dementia and Alzheimer’s disease, according to thegreensatgreenwich.com. Sacred Heart eighth graders travel to this rehabilitation center to engage in conversations with the senior residents and establish relationships.
Mrs. Laura Pochintesta, Middle School Theology Teacher and Community Service Coordinator, restarted this connection after COVID-19. She opened this opportunity up to eighth grade students to help them gain perspective of the world around them.
Every Thursday, eighth graders have the opportunity to walk over to The Greens at Greenwich and participate in conversations about various topics with senior citizens who suffer with high-functioning dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. The senior residents sign up for a conversation and pair up with one eighth grader for one hour. During these talks, both the senior citizen and the student respond to a guided prompt and get the opportunity to talk about their day. The prompt varies every week and is a relevant and relatable topic for all participants. Eighth grader Ariel Almonacy reflected on why she enjoys participating in the weekly visits to The Greens at Greenwich.
“My favorite aspect of this program is getting to connect and establish relationships with the senior citizens,” Ariel said. “I thoroughly enjoy getting to discuss topics that both the senior citizen and I are interested in, and hearing their perspective. Through this program, I am able to gain wisdom from the elderly and gain meaningful experiences that I look forward to every week.”
The Buddy Program closely aligns with the Sacred Heart Goals and Criteria. The students display their social awareness and willingness to take action through this direct service opportunity of, aligning with Goal III. Additionally, Sacred Heart students embody Goal IV through the Buddy Program by building a community and emphasizing caring and loving relationships with the senior citizens. Mrs. Pochintesta reflected on why this program is beneficial to both the student participants as well as the senior citizens.
“The partnership between The Greens at Greenwich and Sacred Heart Greenwich is one of the most amazing experiences I have had the opportunity to coordinate,” Mrs. Pochintesta said. “The students bring so much joy to the seniors and in return, the seniors share knowledge and wisdom with the children. Although the citizens have either dementia or Alzheimer’s, they are high-functioning, so they are able to recall memories and experiences in their lives, and ultimately pass this on to the students. The Buddy Program becomes a community in which students and elders get to give insight into their lives and benefit each other from the conversations that take place.”
Featured Image by Claire McMonagle ’27
