The Connections That Cross Generations

A university and a retirement community may seem like very different places. But in Harrisonburg, James Madison University and Virginia Mennonite Retirement Community have spent years finding ways to bring them together, creating opportunities for students and residents to know one another in ways that would not happen otherwise.

The relationship extends well beyond any one program. Students come to VMRC through classes, community scholar programs, service organizations, field placements, practicums, shadowing experiences and other community-engaged learning opportunities. Some may arrive with a specific assignment or area of study in mind, but what they encounter can become something much more personal.

More Than Neighbors

JMU's Community and Volunteer Engagement team works to help students step beyond the university and become more involved in the community around them. That work is about more than giving students somewhere to volunteer or complete a placement. It is about helping them experience the people and places that make Harrisonburg home.

VMRC is one of those places. When students spend time here, the relationship changes from two local institutions simply sharing a community to two communities actively participating in one another's lives. Students and residents have the chance to laugh together, learn from one another, work side by side and discover how much they have in common despite the years between them. There is something powerful in that exchange. These moments can be small, but their impact is not.

One Experience Changed the Course of a Life

For one JMU student, her time at VMRC became deeply personal.

When Gabby Scarborough arrived she had an idea of what an assisted living community would be like based on what she had seen before. VMRC challenged that expectation almost immediately. Instead of feeling like a place she was simply visiting for an internship, it became a place where she felt welcomed and connected.

As an intern with the Life Enrichment team, she helped with assessments and events, but her role quickly became about much more than the responsibilities listed on a placement description. She spent time with residents, got to know the people around her and became part of the rhythm of the community.

What she found at VMRC stayed with her long after her internship ended. Before coming here, she was uncertain about what she wanted to do with her career. Working alongside the Life Enrichment team helped her discover a field she had never realized she loved. “This whole course changed my career path completely,” Scarborough said. By the end of her time at VMRC, she knew she wanted to pursue this work.

That is the kind of possibility that can come from opening a door and inviting a student in. What begins as one experience can shape the direction of an entire life.

There Is No One Way to Build the Relationship

Part of the strength of the JMU and VMRC partnership is that it does not have to look the same every time. The two organizations have continued to find ways to make opportunities fit the people, programs and priorities involved.

A student organization may engage with residents differently than a class does. A practicum can offer a different experience than a service project. As VMRC continues to grow and change, and as higher education continues to find new approaches to community-engaged learning, there is room for the partnership to grow with them.

The goal is not simply to create more opportunities. It is to create opportunities that feel worthwhile for everyone involved, and to keep asking what might happen if the two organizations tried something a little different. That willingness to dream together is what can turn an established relationship into one that continues to feel alive.

The Beauty of Being Together

At the heart of all of this are people from different stages of life sitting across from one another and discovering what they can give each other. Students have the opportunity to learn that some of the most valuable lessons cannot be found in a classroom. Residents have the opportunity to encourage, teach and welcome young people into their community.

There is a particular beauty in those moments because neither side has to be anything other than themselves. A student can be curious. A resident can be generous with their time and experience. Together, they create a place where learning does not belong to one age group and caring does not belong to one generation.

The partnership between JMU and VMRC creates more than opportunities for students to gain experience. It creates a bridge between generations, one that allows people who may have otherwise never met to become part of each other's lives. And every time that happens, there is a chance for something lasting to come from it.