Home Link students raise funds for senior projects

LEAVENWORTH — Cascade School District’s (CSD) Home Link students are raising money to complete several projects intended to bring joy, connection, and dignity to the lives of residents at Mountain Meadows Senior Living Campus.

“This year, Home Link has offered to help Mountain Meadows add something to their environment for their residents, so that people with dementia can have a more free and interesting life,” said Home Link student Gunnar Edvenson.

The Home Link students are pursuing the projects as part of “Getting to Impact,” a service-learning and project management class that engages students in meaningful community work, such as supporting residents at Mountain Meadows experiencing dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. 

“We actually get to impact a real life cause,” said Home Link student Wiley Free.

The students toured Mountain Meadows and interviewed staff and residents before brainstorming a handful of projects to pursue. Then, they presented their ideas to the executive director and are in the process of collecting feedback from the residents. According to Home Link Coordinator and Certified Teacher Shanda Holm, the class is working on the projects in partnership with Gibbs Graphics, the Plant Ally, the Leavenworth Chamber of Commerce and Syndicate Smith.

The first project aims to help residents go for walks without getting lost by painting footprints along the nearby sidewalks and adding benches along the way. Another proposal would add to the sensory room in a way that helps residents feel calm, such as incorporating plants, furniture and a hidden sound machine that plays ambient sounds of birds, rain and wind. The third idea intends to help orient residents by painting murals on the hall walls.

“The murals will have, like local birds in their habitats, so like waterfowl in a wetland, or songbirds in a forest, or hawks in the sky or gamebirds in a field,” said student Remy Clabaugh.

Lastly, the fourth project would enhance the outdoor space for residents by adding a waterfall fountain in the fenced patio area. The students have a fundraising goal of $40,000 to complete all four projects. Donations can be made online to the Community Foundation of NCW’s Mountain Meadows Senior Living Campus Agency Fund, with “Home Link Student Projects” written in the description.

“We really want it to happen, and it's really important to us,” said student Micah Villalobos.

Home Link is an alternative learning experience (ALE) program created to help provide home school families with resources, support and classes. The CSD program helps parents or guardians develop core curriculum plans for students to learn at home, while also offering enrichment classes. According to Holm, there are 40 Cascade Home Link students ranging from Kindergarten through 8th grade.

Taylor Caldwell: 509-433-7276 or taylor@ward.media


Editor’s Note: A previous version of this story incorrectly stated that donations to Mountain Meadows could be dropped off at the Cascade School District Office. District officials said the office is not able to accept donations on behalf of the senior living facility. The story has been updated to remove that information.