Meet the teen who loves hanging with older folks
Good afternoon, friends! This is Tennessean storytelling columnist Brad Schmitt, and my good news is that, starting today, I'm on vacation for an entire week! Skippity do!
This upcoming week, not coincidentally, are the Jewish High Holidays, starting Sunday evening with Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, and ending 10 days later with Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. (The start is a lot more fun than the finish, if I'm being honest.)
Anyway, L'Shana Tovah (a happy new year) to those celebrating. May your matzah ball soup be as delicious as my Aunt Barbara's. 😋 There won't be a newsletter next week, but I'll be back with the next one Oct. 7.
Here's this week's Good News:
Students are on a waiting list to serve seniors
Most teens want to stay far away from their parents' work, right? Not so for Valor high school senior Cora Funk.
Her mom, Gretchen Funk, does programming for the nonprofit FiftyForward, which serves older people. And Cora, even as a little girl, got into going to work with her mom − and getting inspired by her mom.
"My mom’s super involved in helping other people, especially older adults, and she's dedicated to what she does and the people she serves," Cora said. "That's such a good example for me."
I gotta stop here for a second: Pass the tissues! Parents, can you imagine your teenager saying such beautiful words about you? So moving.
About a year ago, Cora started an intergenerational club at her high school, Students Connecting with Seniors.
And to her surprise, the club has been a hit among her peers! There are 25 student members, and there's even a waiting list for others to join.
The students meet up with seniors, either at the South Nashville FiftyForward club or at the school nearby. They play games, they garden, they have "mixers" with food and punch.
"It’s very cool to see my friends participating in acts of service, which has been such an important thing in my life," Cora said.
"And the smiles on faces and laughter all around − it makes me really happy to see other people finding joy out of this experience, finding light in life through the club."
Do you love this kid!?!?
The MIT AgeLab does. (Yes, the renowned Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Boston, that MIT.) The school has awarded Cora a $5,000 college scholarship for her freshman year. And MIT threw in another $1,000 to help fund Students Connecting with Seniors.
Congrats, Cora! And thanks for serving our older friends.
Going hard to help his fellow single fathers (and single moms, too)
Wanna meet a fascinating dude? Chris Bryant is a U.S. Navy veteran and a former tire plant safety officer who's now − wait for it − a ballroom dance instructor. 🕺🏼
Chris also is a single father − to four kids. That happened after he got divorced six years ago.
Since then, the 37-year-old Donelson dad founded the Nashville-based Solo Parent Society. It's a Christian-based support group for single parents, and after becoming a participant, Chris became a hard-core leader and volunteer.
Some of his activities:
Leading a weekly group and substituting for other groups
Organizing activities for single parents and their kids, including beach volleyball, camping trips, picnics, sporting events and zoo outings, often reaching into his own pocket to cover families who might not be able to afford to go
Starting a pandemic pen pal program to keep kids connected during lock down
"He's vulnerable and authentic, and he’s a great listener," said fellow Solo Parent Society volunteer Elizabeth Cole. "People feel safe with him because he doesn’t make it about himself."
Chris says, though, it's kind of about him, too.
"As soon as I got divorced, I felt so disconnected from my friends because they’re all couples," he said.
"I hated that feeling. So I’ve been trying to connect single parents, not for romance, but for authentic, lifelong friendships."
Tell me something good
So, tell me, what awesome thing is happening in your world? Please share! Hit me with an email at brad@tennessean.com, just like these fine folks below did.
Great date night!
“My husband and I had a great date night at Perry’s Steakhouse in Cool Springs. We know all the bartenders by first name, and it’s kind of like Cheers – ‘Hey Rob and Annette!’ We have fun, and we have good food.”
∎ Annette Doom, 51, Franklin, nonprofit executive
Superstar double header
"I was able to go to Boston for a quick getaway with the love of my life. We saw two concerts, Bruno Mars and Aerosmith. It's truly a blessing to be able to do those things."
∎ Brett Gordon, 60, Bellevue, small business owner
Thanks for the lift
"I was working a trade show, and a very nice man saw me rolling a 50-pound medical device into a convention center. He carried it up the stairs for me. I was very grateful for his help."
∎ Rona Milligan, Brentwood, medical sales
Friends from across the pond
"My friends from London came to the U.S. for the first time last week. Showing them our city and the Grand Ole Opry was a delight! Everyone I introduced them to was overjoyed to talk to them about our town. Some other friends helped them get plugged in to Americana Fest, and they truly had a magical week."
∎ Kelly Sutton, 47, Franklin, country music media personality
Thanks for spending another week with me and The Good News with Brad Schmitt. Please remember, I'd love to hear from you! Questions? Comments? Wanna share some good news? Please do at brad@tennessean.com.
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Dig into more feel-good stories below.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Meet the teen who loves hanging with older folks
