Convalescent Home Visit

This past Valentine’s Day, we witnessed how much the ImpACT students have changed and also what a difference they are making to others around them.

Their attitude about sharing and giving changed as we prepared for the visit. Initially when we told the students that we were going to make special frames to give away to the grandmas and grandpas at a convalescent home field trip, many were disappointed. These kids are used to being on the receiving end at home, at school, and even at ImpACT. However, that Sunday they left empty handed.

The next Sunday, at Crown Bay Convalescent Home, they asked for the frames. However, this time the students were not requesting to keep it but to give it away. The grandmas and grandpas lighted up when they received their gifts. In this way the students experienced the joy of giving, and it appeared they couldn’t get enough of it. Two of the girls gave away all their frames before they left the recreation room. When they saw an extra frame on the floor, they raced toward it so they could have another frame to give away to another grandma.

Before, it was common for the ImpACT students to comment about having to go to Joyland large group time. To them, there was “too much singing and dancing.” One of the girls refused to sing or dance at all. However, days before our convalescent visit, her Team Lead spoke to her mom, where the mom asked, “Are you guys going somewhere special?” The Team Lead explained to her about the visit. The mom replied, “Oh no wonder, my girls have been practicing singing and dancing all week!”

As the kids crammed into the front of the recreation room to perform their songs, they were shy and uncomfortable. Many kids didn’t look at the residents but looked nervously at the floor. However, once Mr. Tony started the music, the kids gave the audience their all, dancing and singing their hearts out as if it was another Joyland Christmas Celebration! Afterwards, one of the students told a Team Lead that she saw a man cry. The girls around her were all stunned that they could have such an effect on others.

On the ride home, some of the students said that this convalescent visit wasn’t a normal field trip. As they talked about what they had experienced, they smiled proudly and nodded to each other. The students have changed so much. We’re really looking forward to seeing how much more they’ll grow and hoping to hear about how they’ll be bringing what they learn at ImpACT into their class-rooms and their homes.