The Plested Senior Initiative: Bridging Generations. Enriching Lives
The Plested Senior Initiative is a student-led youth leadership and community service organization connecting young people with older adults through companionship, meaningful activities, and intergenerational experiences.
Building young leaders. Honoring older adults. Creating connections that matter.
Our Vision
A Generation That Values Every Generation
Our vision is to create a generation of young leaders who understand the value, wisdom, and dignity of older adults while helping reduce social isolation within senior living communities.
Through service and meaningful relationships, students have an opportunity to learn from the generations who came before them while making a genuine difference in the lives of older adults.
What We Do
Service With Purpose
PSI partners with skilled nursing, and assisted living communities to create structured opportunities for students to volunteer, connect, and serve.
Young Leaders:
Read and play games with residents
Participate in arts and crafts
Help residents with technology
Record residents' life stories
Take wheelchair walks
Celebrate birthdays
Participate in seasonal activities and special events
These activities come directly from the volunteer opportunities envisioned for PSI.
Developing Young Leaders
Leadership Through Service
PSI is about more than earning volunteer hours. Students have opportunities to develop leadership, communication, compassion, professionalism, and responsibility through real-world service.
Participating students can receive verified volunteer hours, leadership opportunities, community-impact experience, résumé experience, scholarship experience, and semester certificates.
Leadership development may include workshops on dementia awareness, respectful communication, active listening, elder abuse awareness, professionalism, and volunteer etiquette.
PSI Signature Programs
Connections That Make a Difference
Adopt-a-Grandfriend
Students are paired with a resident during the school year to build an ongoing intergenerational connection.
Birthday Brigade
Students help celebrate residents' birthdays with cards, balloons, music, and recognition.
Legacy Project
Students interview older adults about their experiences, accomplishments, memories, and advice for younger generations, with the goal of preserving their stories.
Technology Tuesdays
Students help residents use smartphones, FaceTime family members, send emails, and enjoy family photographs.
Music Memories
Students create personalized playlists or participate in sing-alongs with residents.
Partner With PSI
Senior Living Community Partners
The heart of PSI happens inside the communities we serve.
We seek partnerships with assisted living and skilled nursing communities that want to provide residents with additional opportunities for companionship, activities, and meaningful engagement with younger generations.
Community partners can work with PSI to coordinate scheduled visits, monthly experiences, and signature programs that create meaningful interactions between residents and student volunteers.
Support the Initiative
It Takes a Community to Build a Legacy
Businesses, civic organizations, churches, senior living communities, and other community partners can support PSI by helping provide refreshments, activity supplies, event support, and other resources for student-led programs.
At the end of the school year, the Plested Senior Initiative Volunteer Awards can recognize outstanding students, community partners, and senior living partners who have helped further the mission.
The Future of PSI
Building a Legacy of Service
The Plested Senior Initiative begins with one generation reaching another—but its vision reaches much further.
Future goals include establishing PSI chapters at additional high schools throughout Texas, creating scholarships for graduating students who demonstrate exceptional commitment to older adults, partnering with colleges and universities, developing an annual Youth Leadership Summit focused on aging and service, and creating special intergenerational celebrations.
Young Leaders. Meaningful Service. Lasting Impact.
Ready to be part of the Plested Senior Initiative?