St. Thomas’ College, Dehradun as a part of its centenary celebrations organised a program Share A Smile With The Elderly.
Mr. R. V. Gardner, Principal and MLA gave a very warm welcome to all the respected elderly people. Mr Gardner being a grandparent himself has always responded to the needs of the elderly. He has already been a part of their lives by coming forward to provide them with Tube wells at Prem Dham and The Doon Bible College. He has also looked into the need of getting a boundary wall constructed at the memorial parks of Chandan Nagar as well as Nalapaani.
The event of ‘sharing a smile’ with the elderly gave a platform to the unsung heroes who believed in nurturing the younger generation but at the same time are left without care.
St. Thomas college a hundred-year-old educational institute felt revered in honouring the grandparents and some of the elderly who have been abandoned by their own loved ones.
The program included five homes of Dehradun namely Prem Dham, YWCA, Old Age Home Rajpur, Swabhimaan Club and Senior Citizen Welfare Society which consisted of 150 respected elderly people. St. Thomas’ even brought an expert Ms. Mona Singh, a Yoga Guru who taught the elderly to stay fit by doing some minimal exercises even while sitting on a chair, so that they remain fit and are not dependent on anyone else. A laughing session was also organised for our guests which turned their smiles into laughter.
It was we who brought a smile on their faces but they brought a bigger one on our lips and even tears to our eyes by sharing their experiences which made us better learners by being patient listeners to their stories.
Being an educational institution, we also sensitised the young generation towards the insensitivity we show towards the elders. It also reminded us of those elderly people who laid the foundation of our school.
These physically weak people made us mentally strong in our determination to serve the society in a better way. To honour them further, the school gave away some gifts which could be of some use to them.
The event was a grand success as it culminated with all the elderly who wrote their well-wishes on placards which will be preserved as memorabilia by the school for the days to come.
In his vote of thanks, Mr. Gardner thanked all the Grandparents and the elderly people for taking pains to come to the Institution and sharing their precious time with us.
The school had seen many smiles but these were the most beautiful smiles that we had ever experienced in the history of St. Thomas’ College and for us they are blessings in disguise.
