On Monday, June 18, a group of 16 volunteers came together to plant flowers and clean-up Grey Park in Evanston, IL. The project was a part of F.I.I.V.E. (Fostering Intergenerational, Inclusive Volunteer Engagement in Chicago) a volunteer program initiated by Mather LifeWays Institute on Aging in which young adults with disabilities and older adult mentors (ages 50 and better) engage together in service to their community.

Working together, older adult volunteers of F.I.I.V.E. along with young adults from the Center for Independent Futures, and employees from Mather LifeWays Institute on Aging, participated in a park beautification project, with mulch generously donated by the City of Evanston and flowers donated by Home Depot’s in Evanston and Lincoln Park.

Ginny Durkin, a Rogers Park resident and retired social worker, was just one of the F.I.I.V.E. older adult volunteers that was there Monday digging in the dirt, and teaching the younger adults how to best plant and care for the flowers. “I have had fun with every project in this program,” she says. “I want to spend my time volunteering and helping where I can make a difference, and we are making a difference today!”

Mather LifeWays Institute on Aging’s F.I.I.V.E. program is an ongoing series of events designed to foster intergenerational learning and community engagement. The F.I.I.V.E. program is sponsored by a grant from the Coleman Foundation.

“Having a positive effect in this Evanston neighborhood, while working with organizations and members of our own community, is what the F.I.I.V.E. program is all about,” said Dawn Lehman, Director of Education, Mather LifeWays Institute on Aging. “We are very grateful to the City of Evanston and Home Depot for their donations to this project, and are so happy to work with young adults from the Center for Independent Futures.”

Mather LifeWays Institute on Aging is the research and education arm of Mather LifeWays, a 70-year-old, non-denominational, not-for-profit organization whose mission is to create Ways to Age Well^SM. Mather LifeWays Institute on Aging serves as a thought leader in the field of aging by designing and conducting national applied research, pilot demonstration projects, and education initiatives. For more information, visit online at www.matherlifewaysinstituteonaging.com