Busy Hands and Active Hearts

The weathered, wrinkled hands held the artwork steady while smooth, smaller hands worked quickly to complete their joint craft--a Valentine’s Day card.

After deftly squeezing glue onto the paper, Johanna Otico, 7, provided the finishing touch by carefully placing a red lace heart on front and patting it gently into place.

“I think it’s lovely, I really do,” said Hettie Sears, 81, as the girl by her side smiled shyly. “I’m going to put it on the wall at the foot of my bed so when I lie down, I can look at it.”

Since October, the pair have become unlikely friends. One is a bright second-grader at Dysinger Elementary School in Buena Park, and the other is a former World War II nurse who now lives at the Buena Park Senior Center, a convalescent home.

The pair, who have bonded over a fondness for mystery books, are not unique. Johanna and about 35 other students who belong to the Gifted and Talented Education program at their school have formed friendships--some quite strong--with seniors as part of a community service project started at the beginning of the school year.

Once a month, the second- through sixth-graders walk down Stanton Avenue, then turn onto Crescent Avenue for their two-mile hike to the center. There they spend an hour with their buddies, sharing stories, making crafts or reading books together.

Linda Matlock, director of special services for the Centralia School District, said the children are learning important lessons about life in the process.

“They’re learning about seniors, and they’re learning to be kind,” she said, adding that community service “has been a major emphasis for us this year.”

At tables set up in the community room at the center, children and their elders work busily with tools typical of an elementary school--crayons, markers, stickers and a good pair of scissors.

During a recent visit, fifth-grader Aubree Fairchild gave her buddy a present, a pink stuffed heart. During their hour together, Rose Nimeh, 70, caressed the soft fur that fringed the gift.

“I thought this would be cute for Rose,” Aubree said, explaining how she had chosen it.

She chose the pink heart, she said, because that’s Nimeh’s favorite color.

“Thank you very much,” the woman said as the little girl reached over and gave her friend a hug and kiss on the cheek.

Ana Cholo-Tipton may be reached at (714) 966-5890.