Members of Ponte Vedra Beach Girl Scout Troop 37 have been busy the last few months initiating their new pen pal program with residents at Ponte Vedra Gardens, a memory care facility on Palm Valley Road.
When troop leader Suzette Bushkell came up with the idea, Jennifer McCormick, program director at Ponte Vedra Gardens, was hesitant about letting the girls write to her residents.
Ponte Vedra Gardens specializes in patients with dementia and Alzehimer’s, so McCormick wanted the girls to know that this was not going to be a normal pen pal program, that the residents may not be able to offer much in return.
“I know that it seems like such a great idea in this pandemic, but because we are an all dementia facility, [there are] complications that can arise.”
After Bushkell sat down with her troop, reading a detailed letter from McCormick explaining the possible difficulties of a pen pal program, the girls were still interested in the idea, and quickly began composing their first letters.
McCormick prepared the girls ahead of time with information about their new pen pals, such as hobbies and careers, so the girls could select residents they felt they would connect with through their letters.
The 14 members of Ponte Vedra Beach Troop 37 wrote out long introduction letters to residents at Ponte Vedra Gardens, including drawings and photographs. They did not have high expectations of responses, since most residents at the Gardens would need to have the letters read aloud to them and replied to by employees, but imagine the girls’ surprise, when they each received reply letters and photographs from their new pen pals in the mail.
“When we got Christmas letters back from them, the girls loved them!” said Bushkell, referring to the notes and ornaments each girl received from the residents.
Unfortunately, only a few months into the program, three of the girls have had their pen pals pass away, including Bushkell’s daughter Sofia’s pen pal. Bushkell said that she sat down the troop and had a very difficult but very honest conversation about the passing of their pen pals.
Despite the struggles, and despite having those heartbreaking conversations, both McCormick and Bushkell said that the program has had positive effects.
“The outcome is so very worth it,” said McCormick.
In the future, McCormick and Bushkell hope to arrange a way for the sets of pen pals to meet in person but, as residents at Ponte Vedra Gardens are often encouraged to do, for now they will live in the present moment, and enjoy these special experiences.
