By Breanna Cary
William Peace University took eight students to Mayview Nursing Home on Feb. 8 to help make Valentine’s Day cards along with small Valentine crafts.
Peace students were able to talk and get to know of few of the residents.
One residents name was Mrs. Betty, who graduated in 1952 from Peace College. When she found out students were coming from the same place she graduated from, she got very excited and even a little emotional.
She was so excited the first thing she showed some of students was the Bible she received at graduation. Mrs. Betty did not even tell them her name until she finished telling one of her Peace stories.
Sophomore Rhys Ghazal was the lucky student that was able to spend time and get to know Mrs. Betty on a deeper level. As Ghazal helped her make Valentine’s day cards to give to her family members and to hang up on her door, her heart was touched by the stories she was being told.
“Mrs. Betty, was absolutely amazing,” said Ghazal. “I had so many questions for Mrs. Betty and got a few answers out of her.”
One question she had for Mrs. Betty was if she liked Peace or not and Betty was quick to respond with, “No! They didn’t let us date!” Ghazal simply laughed and understood where she was coming from since it was an all girls college at the time.
Mrs. Betty touched Ghazal’s heart, and brought her close to tearing up. Many do not understand that simply talking to elders and listening can have a huge impact on not just the elder but on themselves.
Almost every single person that walked out of Mayview had a different outlook on Valentine’s Day or on life than when they entered. This is because all the students were able to connect on some level with the elder they worked with, whether with sports talk, military stories, family stories, and so many other things.
One lady was 102 years old, smiling and happily living life. She was thankful for the help and felt that her buddy cared about her. She was so excited about having something to hang on her door and show off to everyone there.
“I definitely loved this community service event,” said sophomore Tara Lesick. “I would love to attend another one of these in the near future.”