You’ve Got Mail! Saline Seniors and Students Build Lasting Friendships as Pen Pals

For almost ten years, the Saline Area Senior Center (SASC) and the Saline Area Schools (SAS) have partnered together with an intergenerational pen pal program. This program matches seniors with elementary and high school students, who exchange letters throughout the year and meet at the end of the school year.

Megan Kenyon, SASC Program Coordinator, talks about the advantages of the pen pal program. “As a former teacher, I know how beneficial it is to practice friendly letter writing. Many children do not get the opportunity elsewhere, especially with communication now being mostly via text message, email, or social media. I would love to see the art of letter writing make a comeback in our digital age.”

The Power of Personal Connection

Kenyon recalls her own positive personal experience with pen pals. “When I was 13 years old, I wrote to an elderly lady who was in a nursing home. She was lonely and didn’t see family very much. She said it meant the world to her.”

Seniors at the SASC would agree with Kenyon’s positive experience.

Felix Chow, a retired educator, readily points out the benefits of being a pen pal. “It provides true learning without the pressure of grades, a focus on actual attainment like spelling and drawing, and is safe to share things like common interests, travels, and hobbies.”

When SASC member Mike Parise was asked why he joined the program, he replied, “I joined because I needed something to get involved with that I could do conveniently on my time. I also found it helpful to share my life experiences and hopefully pass some of my wisdom to them.”

A Personal Touch with Impact

Michael McVey talks about what he enjoys as a pen pal. “The students love to share, and I love it when I read things like ‘Here’s a picture I drew of my dog.’ I also enjoy watching their handwriting and language skills develop over the course of the year. What really makes me smile is that sometimes they will sign their letters with the word ‘love.’”

“Having a Pen Pal is a simple real-life experience that makes learning
how to read and write exciting for a child.” 

Megan Keyon, Program Coordinator, Saline Area Senior Center

McVey thinks writing letters is important for students because “Just like the younger pen pals who want to connect with an older person who is not a family member, I find a similar energy with the high school students who really want to connect with somebody who has had a career and can share some advice or insights.”

Katie Mullins is a pen pal at Saline High School who says she wanted to join because “I thought it would be meaningful to connect with someone from a different generation and learn from their experiences. It has reminded me how much wisdom and personality people carry with them through every stage of life, and how much you can learn just by listening to someone else’s story.”

You’ve Got Mail!

Tracey Williamson, a 3^rd-grade teacher at Woodland Meadows Elementary School, finds the program very beneficial for her students. She says, “It builds meaningful friendships across generations while improving communication and writing skills.”

Williamson goes on to describe the fun and anticipation of the day letters arrive for the students. “When the students spot the large envelope filled with letters from their senior pen pals, excitement spreads throughout the classroom. As I pull out each letter and call a student’s name, the class joins in by saying, ‘You’ve got mail!’”

Reading, Writing are Fun and Exciting

Writing letters is much more than putting words on paper. For these seniors and student pen pals, it’s about making meaningful human connections across generations, building communication skills, and keeping alive the art of letter writing.

Now that’s something to write home about.

For more information on how to become a pen pal, contact the Saline Area Senior Center at 734.429.9274 or go to their website at https://www.salineseniors.org

Featured photo: Judy Slater smiles as she holds a colorful ladybug drawing and note from her elementary school pen pal. Through the Saline Area Senior Center’s intergenerational pen pal program, seniors and students exchange letters throughout the school year before meeting in person. Photo by Sue Kelch.