THE "CLOSE TO HOME" column, August 1994, by Marybeth Shea, touched a chord in an old memory of mine. From my own experience with teens in a Girl Scout troop, I saw how small groups working with adults could engender real interest and excitement. They were choosing to study certain badge work with the parents of troop members. Not only was it intergenerational but self-sustaining in its purposes. I discovered latent talents in the parents whose hobbies and employment skills could be shared in leisure hours.
As an 80-year-old, I’m a volunteer at a licensed foster home and watching young unwed mothers doing handicrafts with babies underfoot. It’s a far cry from the ’50s Girl Scout troop’s play, but the meaning is still there, and really most urgent as we try to rebuild lives. The reality is the rebuilding of the quality of their lives.
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