Country of Residence
United States
Age
15
Project title
HeartsForElders
Project Summary: Describe your project in one sentence
nspired by years of watching my grandfather live with dementia, HeartsForElders is a youth-led volunteer initiative that champions senior engagement, combats loneliness, and builds awareness of dementia, Alzheimer's disease, and healthy aging through meaningful intergenerational connections.
Website URL(s) or social media handles.
https://www.instagram.com/heartsforelders.illinois/
Project Category
My project is an existing project started by another young person that I am replicating
Project Stage
Growth (We’ve moved past the very first activities and are beginning to have consistent weekly or monthly impact)
Founding Story: What was the spark that led you to start your project? What was the "Aha!" moment that led you to get started and see the potential for this to succeed?
For years, I watched my grandfather live with dementia and saw how the disease affected not only his memory, but also his connection to the people around him. While his medical needs were important, what stayed with me most was the loneliness, confusion, and social isolation that often accompanied his condition. As I learned more about dementia and Alzheimer's disease, I realized that many people my age knew very little about the challenges seniors face. Most students rarely interact with older adults outside their own families, which means they often miss opportunities to learn from them, support them, and understand their experiences. My "aha" moment came when I realized these two problems were connected. Seniors need more meaningful social engagement, and young people need more opportunities to connect across generations. What if students could become part of the solution? That idea inspired me to start HeartsForElders, a volunteer-led community that connects students with older adults through companionship, engagement activities, and advocacy. By building genuine relationships, we can help reduce isolation, increase awareness of dementia and Alzheimer's disease, and create stronger, more compassionate communities. I believe no senior should feel forgotten, and every student can make a difference.
The Problem: What problem are you helping to solve? Why does it matter to you and your community?
Many older adults experience loneliness, social isolation, and reduced community engagement, especially those living with dementia, Alzheimer's disease, and other age-related conditions. At the same time, many young people have limited opportunities to interact with seniors or understand the realities of aging and caregiving. This issue is personal to me. For years, I watched my grandfather live with dementia and saw how the disease affected not only his memory, but also his ability to connect with others. I realized that while many people understand aging from a medical perspective, fewer understand its emotional and social impact on individuals and families. HeartsForElders addresses this gap by connecting students with older adults through companionship, engagement activities, and partnerships with senior care organizations. In the short term, these relationships help reduce isolation, increase awareness of dementia and Alzheimer's disease, and create meaningful intergenerational connections. In the long term, early exposure to senior care settings can help students better understand healthcare, caregiving, and the needs of an aging population. If more young people gain firsthand experience supporting older adults, they may be more likely to pursue careers in healthcare, gerontology, social work, or community service. My goal is to start small by creating meaningful conne
Your Solution: How are you solving this problem? Share your specific solution.
HeartsForElders is a youth-led volunteer initiative that connects students with older adults through companionship, engagement activities, and partnerships with senior care organizations. We aim to reduce social isolation among seniors while helping young people better understand aging and the realities of caregiving. Students volunteer through activities such as conversation visits, games, technology assistance, storytelling projects, and community events designed to foster meaningful relationships rather than one-time interactions. By creating consistent engagement, seniors gain valuable social connection while students develop empathy, communication skills, and a deeper understanding of the challenges older adults face. What makes HeartsForElders unique is that it addresses both an immediate and long-term need. In the short term, it helps seniors feel more connected, valued, and supported. In the long term, it exposes students to senior care and healthcare environments through partnerships with senior living communities, memory care centers, healthcare providers, and community organizations. Many students choose careers with little firsthand understanding of what caregiving or healthcare actually looks like. HeartsForElders creates early exposure to these settings, helping students explore careers in healthcare, gerontology, nursing, social work, and community service while gaining practical experience serving an aging population. My vision is to start small with local volunteers and community partners, then build a scalable model that schools and student organizations can adopt. By strengthening connections between generations today, HeartsForElders can help create a more compassionate community and inspire future healthcare
Impact: How has your project created impact / made a difference so far? Or, if at an early stage, what will impact look like?
Since launching in June 2025, HeartsForElders has grown from a personal mission inspired by my grandfather's journey with dementia into an active, student-led organization focused on senior engagement and dementia awareness. To date, we have recruited 9 student board members, organized 27 events, conducted 9 fundraisers, contributed over 350 volunteer hours, and partnered with 10 senior living and care communities. Our outreach team has made 180+ connections with senior homes, memory care facilities, libraries, and community organizations to expand engagement opportunities. Our volunteers have led card-making campaigns, large-print book donation drives, holiday gift initiatives, trivia competitions, bingo games, origami workshops, music activities, and reading sessions with seniors. Beyond the numbers, our greatest impact has been creating meaningful relationships across generations. Seniors gain companionship and connection, while students develop patience, empathy, and a deeper understanding of aging and caregiving. Our goal is to build a sustainable, year-round movement that supports seniors and inspires future caregivers, advocates, and healthcare professionals.
Your Innovation: What is different about your project compared to other programs or solutions already out there? How is your project new or innovative?
Most youth volunteering is event-based: students show up, help for a few hours, and move on. We intentionally encourage volunteers to return to the same senior communities again and again so familiar faces become familiar friendships. A bingo game becomes a conversation. A card-making activity becomes a relationship. The goal is for seniors to recognize the students who walk through the door. What also makes HeartsForElders unique is that it is entirely student-led. With limited funding, our team recruits volunteers, secures partnerships, raises funds, plans events, manages logistics, obtains parent permissions, and coordinates directly with senior living communities. We aren't waiting for opportunities to be created for us. We create them ourselves. At its core, HeartsForElders channels the energy, creativity, and compassion of young people into something meaningful. While helping combat loneliness among seniors, we also expose students to the realities of aging, caregiving, dementia, and Alzheimer's disease long before they choose a career path. Our innovation isn't a new technology. It's creating a sustainable model where students and seniors grow together, one relationship at a time.
How many people are on your team?
9
Your team: What role(s) do your team members play? How do you share leadership with them?
Our team includes 9 student board members and 50+ volunteers who lead outreach, fundraising, events, partnerships, and social media. We share leadership through committee ownership. Together, we manage volunteer logistics, parent permissions, and facility requirements while building relationships with senior centers and coordinating meaningful engagement opportunities.
What’s Next: What are the next steps you plan to take to grow or strengthen your project over the next year? If your project is still in the idea stage, describe the steps you will take over the next three months to launch or begin developing it.
Over the next year, I plan to expand HeartsForElders by increasing funding, recruiting more volunteers, and building partnerships with senior living communities, libraries, healthcare organizations, and community groups. Additional support will allow us to host more events and introduce new programs such as yoga, music therapy, wellness activities, and educational workshops with adult volunteers and community experts. We will continue growing our outreach, social media presence, and advocacy efforts to raise awareness about dementia, Alzheimer's disease, healthy aging, and the importance of intergenerational connection. My goal is to make HeartsForElders a sustainable, year-round movement rather than a seasonal volunteer project. This journey is deeply personal to me. As someone with ADHD, I understand the challenges of managing attention, staying organized, and turning ideas into action. Building HeartsForElders has taught me resilience, leadership, and the importance of surrounding myself with people who help bring ideas to life. In many ways, this organization is proof that our differences can become our greatest strengths when used to serve others.
How do you encourage other people to join your project or learn about the problem you’re working on? If you have a new idea, tell us how you will do this in the future.
HeartsForElders grows by empowering students to become advocates for senior engagement in their own communities. We recruit volunteers through school networks, peer referrals, community outreach, and social media, then give them opportunities to lead fundraising, outreach, and event planning. Since launching in June 2025, we have built a team of 9 student board members, organized 27 events, conducted 9 fundraisers, contributed 350+ volunteer hours, and established partnerships with 10 senior living and care communities. Our outreach team has also made 180+ connections with senior homes, memory care facilities, libraries, and community organizations. We raise awareness through our website, Instagram, and Facebook pages, where we share educational content about aging, dementia, Alzheimer's disease, and opportunities to get involved. Volunteers don't just earn service hours; they help plan events, build partnerships, and create meaningful experiences for seniors through activities such as card-making campaigns, large-print book drives, holiday events, trivia, bingo, music, and reading sessions. Our goal is to build a year-round movement that encourages more young people to learn about aging, connect with older adults, and become advocates for compassionate senior care in their communities.
