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Date: 9/18/2020
EAST LONGMEADOW – The Boy Scout Troop 275 of East Longmeadow is coordinating a Pen Pal program with local senior living facilities. They would like to invite anyone in the surrounding communities to take part in this program, with three senior living and nursing homes excited to participate.
The idea of the program came from committee member Kate Morrissey with the help of some of the adult leaders.
“We figured it was a way to keep the kids engaged socially as well as reach out to the senior living centers within our community,” Morrissey said.
Troop 275 has been in existence for over 50 years, working to bring up youth into the best leaders possible.
Scout Master Robert Perkins stated, “I think the Pen Pal program should work very well. Matching up the youth with the elderly and having communication between the two of them would be an awesome experience. I look forward to getting to know some of the seniors in the areas we’re reaching out to.”
This is a very new program Morrissey said. For the past few years, the troop has participated in the Reeds Landing Veteran’s Day program in Springfield and an Eagle Project one of their scouts did at Bluebird Estates in East Longmeadow.
Troop members will write an initial letter with a general introduction about themselves. Then they will send the letters off to the three organizations that agreed to the program - Bluebird Estates, Chestnut Hill of East Longmeadow and Reeds Landing. Troop members will then have a pen pal they can correspond with by letter as often as they would like.
With the current conditions of COVID-19 Morrissey stated, “A lot of these seniors are unable to go out and I think it’s the same with the youth. They don’t have the accessibility to get out as easily as they used to and everyone is staying close to home.”
She continued, “It's a way to keep up communication without having to have a face to face. Social interaction is very important for anyone especially during these uncertain times. It’s important for all of us to maintain our well-being and to stay connected.”
According to a study conducted by St. Joseph Health in 2020, people who continue to maintain close friendships and find other ways to interact socially live longer than those who become isolated. Relationships and social interactions even help protect against illness by boosting your immune system.
“The hope is that the program takes off and we will continue to facilitate as long as it is successful,” said Morrissey. “Community participation will play an integral role in making this program outstanding. We need more pen pals to participate for guaranteed success.”
For those interested in participating please email scoutingeastlongmeadow@gmail.com.A response will be received with a location for them to contact. That way Morrissey can assure that letters are being sent equally to all locations. If families plan on writing to more than one pen pal, please let her know.