Seniors,Teens Form Bond: Playtime Partners Bridges Generation Gap
Record-Courier
By Diane Smith, June 18, 1998
KENT - Grandparents and teenagers, skateboarders and senior citizens, musicians and music fans of all ages have found reasons to celebrate together lately in Kent.
A Kent couple has formed a group, “Playtime Partners,” which seeks to bridge the generation gap by bringing diverse groups of people together for fun activities. But while the activities involved may seem like nothing more meaningful than child’s play, Joe Culley, who founded the group along with his wife, Michelle, said it’s much more than that.
“The whole idea of Playtime Partners is to bring people together in the spirit of play,” he said. “It’s to create a sense of joy, empowerment and energy about life through play and to create physical and mental healing.”
Culley, an art teacher at Sagamore Hills High School, came up with the idea after taking a series of classes in the “Curriculum for Extraordinary Living” offered by the Landmark Education Corporation. In the last class, students were asked to design a project that “explored the possibility of empowerment, play and peace.”
He hit on the idea of uniting younger and older generations when he stopped to visit Mort Grossman, who was battling cancer. He said he was reluctant to visit because he didn’t want to be a bother to the family routine.
“Five minutes into our talk, he became more perky and his eyes sparkled,” Culley said. “We both looked at a catalog about one of his favorite artists and had a real playful conversation about art.
“He had an energy that wasn’t present when I came in, and my energy level just skyrocketed. I knew there was the potential for something to happen there,” he added.
It was Culley’s wife, a teacher at McKinley High School in Canton, who suggested taking skateboarders from Nag’s Skatehouse in Kent to Stow-Glen Retirement Community. About nine skaters entertained residents with a performance May 27.
“It was awesome,” he said. “The senior citizens loved watching the kids, and the kids loved being watched. Their confidence increased throughout the performance.”
After the show, the teens had a chance to talk with the residents. One teen formed a bond with a 90-year-old woman who grew up in the same town as the teen’s parents.
On May 30, the group held a benefit at Brady’s Cafe, featuring the Jack Sommers Band, a group of teenagers; acoustic legend Hal Walker; and Osmosis, a band Culley plays with.
Reprinted from Record Courier, June 18, 1998, Ravenna, Ohio.