Joliet university students create paint night for Timbers of Shorewood residents

Residents at The Timbers of Shorewood Senior Living recently enjoyed an intergenerational painting and drawing project with students from the University of St. Francis in Joliet.

Freshman and sophomore students executed the project with the Timbers and the project was part of USF’s recreation and sports management department and the specific course “Program Design and Leadership,” according to a news release from The Timbers.

“Combining recreation and geriatrics is a fast-growing field with lots of job opportunities,” USF associate professor Jessica Monu said in the release.

Monu said she made the initial contact with The Timbers. The students took the project from there by “discovering the needs of the agency and the participants.”

They create goals, design the project, create marketing, plan risk management, execute and evaluate,” Monu said in the release. “Taking an experiential approach, we teach it, then we do it.”

The students presented the project on April 19. Amy Odell, director of activities at the Timbers of Shorewood, praised the event.

“The USF students ran a wonderful interactive project, and the residents truly enjoyed the assistance and encouragement they received,” Odell said in the release. “There are so many positive aspects to having college students connect with seniors, and vice versa. We have very engaged residents that love to participate in many activities, and having the younger generation involved gives the seniors added energy.”

For more information, visit timbersofshorewood.com and stfrancis.edu.