Alison Song has spent much of her final year at the University of Virginia with a different kind of senior – older adults in the Charlottesville community – as the student leader of UVA’s Adopt-a-Grandparent program. A fourth-year biology major, Song has spent countless hours volunteering through Madison House, the University’s independent volunteer center for students, making a difference in the local community.
“It’s really rewarding because it allows me to engage with Charlottesville in meaningful and new ways,” she said.
The Adopt-a-Grandparent program connects volunteer students with older adults around Charlottesville, fostering meaningful relationships through visits to nursing homes, rehabilitation facilities, elderly communities, memory care units and recreation centers. The program currently serves 11 sites in the greater Charlottesville area and plans to expand to 13 next year.
Susan Pribble looks forward to crafting with Song and “the gals.” (Photo by Matt Riley, University Communications)
“Coming into UVA, I knew I wanted to pursue some form of community service and was first introduced to Adopt-a-Grandparent by the program director at another site, The Heritage Inn Assisted Living and Memory Care,” she said. “After I began volunteering there, I quickly formed a close connection with one of the residents, who always had colorful stories to tell and gave me encouragement to pursue my goals. Chatting with her became the highlight of my week.”
Song and a handful of other students volunteer at the Jefferson Area Board for Aging, which provides activities, services and advocacy for older adults and individuals with disabilities.
Song has volunteered through Madison House since her first year at UVA, starting with working a unit front desk and the surgical supply area at UVA Health University Medical Center and more recently taking on the leadership role with Adopt-a-Grandparent.
Growing up in Virginia, Song always dreamed of going to school close to home and said she is happy with her decision to attend UVA. She said she enjoys the friends she has made, including some of through the Adopt-a-Grandparent program.
In addition to volunteering and coursework, Song works in the lab of UVA biology and biomedical engineering professor Christopher Deppmann, researching neural development. As an undergraduate laboratory assistant, her research focuses on cell death pathways and Alzheimer’s disease.
Charlottesville resident Susan Pribble enjoys the Adopt-a-Grandparent program at JABA and having the opportunity to “meet and see other gals,” including the student volunteers. “It’s a fun opportunity to engage with the UVA kids,” she said.
And the UVA kids are making friends through Adopt-a-Grandparent as well. Jackie Powers, a third-year student, lived with Song in their first-year dorm, but the two didn’t become friends until they volunteered together through the program.
