Timeline
What month was Blooming Spring held in?
April
What is the Senior Activity Club?
The Senior Activity Club is a biweekly program launched by CONNECT at Juniper Assisted Living, where seniors and their families take part in fun, interactive events like games, crafts, and storytelling to build connection and joy.
List 5 of our resources
Juniper Assisted Living Center
Yasmin Correa- Activities Director At Juniper Assisted Living Center
Dr. Lamont Thomas-
Principal of HS North
Dr. Rebecca McLelland - PRISM organizer for the middle school ``
Caryn Rapp -
Celebrations Director At Bear Creek Assisted Living
Kelly Muha -
Director of Life Enrichment At Artis Senior Living
Community Middle School Volunteers
High School North School Volunteers
Mango Mango
Bean There
Shuu Cafe
Dunkin Donuts
Domino's Pizza
Mayor Edmund Yates
Lisa Grey- Publishing Consultant At American Books Publisher
Which 5 solutions were chosen to be a part of our action plan?
Senior Activity Club
Tech Support Program
Intergenerational Mentorship Program
Awareness Campaign
Sustainable Funding and Volunteers
What surprised you the most throughout this project?
Answers vary
At first we didn’t realize how relevant this problem was.
However, as the project continue we realized practically every senior, even those in senior homes, are isolated.
Many have to stay in groups of 5 for their entire days
For the mentally challenged people and memory loss, many times they are confined by themselves. when we first went with younger children, a few started crying. truly heartwarming.
True or False: We established our Non-Profit before Colors of Connection was published (according to timeline)
FALSE
Explain the 3 parts of Blooming Spring and what happened in each.
FIrst high school, second middle school all grades, third delivered to senior centers.
What were each of our assigned roles throughout this project?
Sravya: Communications & Event Management
Meghna: Content Creation & Resource Coordination
Slesha: Financial Management & Budget Planning
What criteria did we use to determine which solutions would be the most effective?
Which solution positively impacts the seniors’ quality of life the most?
Which solution is most feasible in terms of community resources?
Which solution provides the best value for the funding available?
Which solution is the most sustainable over time?
Which solution most directly addresses our UP?
What do you think you will remember about this project 20 years from now? What do you think the community will remember?
Answers vary
What did we mainly do in the months of September-November?
Identified our problem, brainstorming, applied FPS 6-step process, awareness campaign, conducted surveys, established social media.
Detail the proceedings of the Valentine's Day Dance, Superbowl Scattegories, and Banana Bread Baking.
Super Bowl Trivia Night: Seniors teamed up for a lively game of football-themed Scattergories, designed by our team. Seniors collaborated with volunteers to create the best ideas
Valentine’s Day Dance: This was one of our biggest events, featuring a decorated dance floor made by the volunteers, catered sweet treats, and upbeat music at Juniper Assisted Living. Seniors danced and celebrated on a holiday that is often overlooked in their lives
Banana Bread Baking: Held in Bear Creek Senior Living’s kitchen, this event brought seniors and volunteers together to bake banana bread from scratch. As the loaves baked, everyone enjoyed relaxed conversations and made meaningful connections
What systems have we put in place to ensure that this project continues after our graduation?
Volunteer training, book distribution, online resources (website), partnership with mayor, school club.
List the main points detailed in our AoC
Over half of seniors in West Windsor — 51 out of 93 surveyed — feel disengaged, similar to national trends of loneliness among older adults. This isolation leads to serious health risks like heart disease, depression, and reduced purpose. It also strains community resources and weakens bonds between generations throughout the community. Without action, many seniors will continue to suffer in silence, facing declining health and diminished quality of life. With limited local programs, there’s an urgent need for community-based solutions to improve senior well-being and connection.
What was team CONNECT's most rewarding moment and what was our most disappointing moment?
Answers vary
Which event was established first: Senior Activity Club, Intergenerational Mentorship Program, or Awareness Campaign?
Awareness Campaign!!
Name every single event CONNECT has supposedly hosted
What are some survey results that helped us see that our project was effective?
- Post-event surveys indicated that 82% of participating seniors felt more socially connected after attending three or more events, with a 40% overall increase in feelings of social well-being.
- By distributing informational materials, visiting classrooms, and hosting awareness tables, we saw a 50% increase in student participation over the project.
- For greater outreach, we launched an awareness campaign using social media and morning announcements that boosted volunteer engagement by 268%
-Seniors reported a 40% increase in social connectedness (post-event surveys)
-On average, each event saw a 21% rise in volunteer turnout and 17% rise in senior participation
What is our UP?
Given that 54.8% of senior citizens in West Windsor, NJ report feeling isolated and experiencing a reduced sense of purpose in life, how might we, the Community Projects team, CONNECT, better integrate them into the community so that they experience a deeper sense of social fulfillment throughout 2025 and beyond?
Why did we start Project CONNECT?
Meghna's grandma came to visit
What are our 10 biggest achievments? Please state which months they occurred in.
1. Senior Activity Club
2. Tech Support Program
3. Intergenerational Mentorship Program
4. Colors of Connection
5. Small business and mall promotion of Colors of Connection
6. CONNECT Care Fdn and 501c3
7. Met with mayor
8. Blooming Spring
Name 3 people we collaborated with to plan and execute team CONNECT's events.
Yasmin Correa, Lenny Celluro, and Forever 55
List 3 obstacles/adaptations that team CONNECT faced
- The mayor was not present at the set meeting time, so we rescheduled the meeting by contacting his secretary, and our requests were met.
- Some Volunteers felt burnt-out, so we created a system where different students volunteered at each event, which was possible as interest in our mission increased
- As we didn’t receive any replies to emails we sent to reach out to another senior home, we shifted our focus to working with Juniper, Artis, and Bear Creek Senior Centers
List 5/9 challenges reported in the proposal and 5/10 solutions.
Answers vary:
Challenges
1. Lack of Community Programs
2. Inadequate Opportunities to Socialize
3. Seniors Struggle With Technological Devices
4. Medical Issues Linked to Isolation
5. Limited Public Transportation
6. Stress on Community
7. Reduced Intergenerational Connections
8. Lack of Event Awareness
9. Insufficient Funding
Solutions
1. Create a Senior Activity Club
2. Provide Free or Low-Cost Transportation Services
3. Introduce a Technology Support Program for Seniors
4. Launch an Intergenerational Mentorship Program
5. Promote Awareness of Existing Programs
6. Design a Community Space for Seniors
7. Start a Volunteer Buddy System
8. Write a Picture Book
9. Create a Non-Profit Organization
10. Secure Funding and Volunteer Support
What are 3 future plans that team CONNECT plans to complete?
Provide transportation, spread this project to more senior homes outside district, and turn CONNECT into a club next year.