February 13, 2013 (Denver, NC ─ Good Samaritans come in all shapes, sizes and even ages! Once a month, Southlake Christian Academy first-graders are greeted by smiles as they pay a visit to residents at Wexford House, a DePaul Senior Living Community.

Pictured here, Southlake Christian Academy first-grader Annabeth Burgess presents Wexford House resident Lois Setzer with a Valentine’s Day card during a recent visit.

The visits to Wexford House are part of the school’s local mission outreach. “We read about missions work and people in need far away, but we know there is a lot of outreach that we can help with right here in our community,” said first-grade Teacher’s Assistant Carolyn Mouton.

Pictured to the left, Wexford House resident Theresa Clary works on a project with Southlake Christian Academy first-grader Siena Wilson. On the right, Wexford House resident Martha Grier shares a smile with first-grader Drew Parker.

Students bring residents homemade gifts and donate items to the Wexford general store, according to Wexford House Activities Director Teresa Owenby. The first-graders will play bingo, sing, and some of the students even ‘adopt’ a resident and will send them photos or small notes through the mail.

“A child’s smile brings happiness to our seniors and reminds them of their youth and of raising children themselves,” said Owenby.

Mouton said the intergenerational partnership is mutual.

“The youth and seniors are just open and you can tell they really enjoy one another’s company,” she said. “The kids are so full of joy and energy that it’s contagious.”

With over 900 students in grades kindergarten through twelfth, Mouton said, Southlake Christian Academy’s outreach includes other area organizations such as East Lincoln Christian Ministry Closet, several area nursing homes, Samaritan’s Feet, a non-profit humanitarian aid organization, and the Charlotte Rescue Mission.

“We feel it’s important to reach out and help those locally and globally who need it because we are blessed and there are a lot of people who want to give back to their community.”

For more information about Wexford House, please contact Administrator Pam Morrell at (704) 489-2633 or visit us on Facebook.