PORT WASHINGTON, Wis. — What does it take to bring two unlikely groups of people together and turn them into friends? Glitter.
“I’m probably going to use glitter for this one," 8-year-old Logan Tesmer said.
“He’s a color master," Mary Holmes, 71, said.
Logan and Mary and unlikely friends. There is 68 years between them. However, that didn't stop them from working together to decorate a pine cone.
“You spruced it up," Mary said to Logan about his additions to their pinecone.
Tesmer is part of Tiny Sprouts Childcare Center. Mary lives in a retirement community called Harbor Campus by Capri Communities. Both the daycare and senior home are in the same Port Washington building. For the past few years, those in daycare have been hanging out with the big kids at Harbor Point creating unlikely friendships and proving age is just a number.
“Because sometimes life can be very mundane, and this puts a little umph into it," Holmes said.
That “umph” is hanging out with the kids at daycare. A few times every month there are activities like arts and crafts, bingo, and more.
“I think it's good for all of us. It's good for them. It's really uplifting for us," Holmes said.
The kids love it too.
“It was really fun. I really like spending time up here with everyone," Tesmer said.
It's easy to see why the kids love it. They can walk around the Harbor Campus building like V.I.P's.
“The Tiny Sprouts like to come up here almost daily, and they do walkthroughs through the hallway and stop and visit all the grandmas and grandpas and just have a good time," Maria Florczak, a sales counselor with Capri Communities, said.
Watch Age is Just a Number: Kids and seniors build lasting friendships in Port Washington
Florczak has been working at the Harbor Campus for 17 years. She has seen how much joy it brings to both the little kids and big kids.
“Not only is it good for the kids, but most definitely the residents. If you could just see how their faces light up and how much enjoyment they get," she said.
While you would likely think an age gap of nearly 70 years would prevent someone from being friends, you'd have to think again. Sometimes it just takes a little splash of glitter to help a relationship sparkle.
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