The refrain of "Tiptoe Through the Tulips" when played by Zionsville High School musicians causes some members of the audience from Zionsville Meadows Nursing Home to break softly into song. The quartet comprised of Lauren Everson on oboe, Sarah Ellis on violin, Ellen Litkowski on piano, and Darcy Ellis on cello (pictured L to R, below) attracted the largest gathering of any event so far at the nursing home where they perform on a Friday afternoon.
The girls passed out carnations to every member of the audience before they performed, and served cookies, fruit and lemonade sprinkled liberally with conversation once their repertoire ended.
It’s not the stereotype of how teens spend a Friday afternoon before heading off to a football game. The group that calls themselves I Solisti – Italian for The Soloists – has committed to perform at six nursing homes in the county, to fulfill a United Way Youth as Resources grant they applied for and were awarded last spring.
The girls decided to compete for the grant after reading about it in the newspaper. It would give them more opportunities to perform as well as provide entertainment for people living in nursing homes. They were awarded $947.01 to cover the costs of taking their show to six different nursing homes. Ellen’s father is their adult sponsor and helps them transport their instruments and set up and tear down after every performance. In their presentation to the Youth as Resources board, the quartet played for decision-makers and explained their plan to use their talents and interests to add to the quality of life of older neighbors.
They researched not only the cost of the music they selected but also how to plan for dietary restrictions of the seniors. And, they prepared and arranged printed programs for their audiences.
What have they learned? "You can fit important things into your schedule, even if you’re busy," said Lauren. "I learned what it means to be a part of a dynamic group," added Sarah. "I don’t have any grandparents who live nearby. It’s good for me to visit with the older people," said Ellen.
When you contribute to United Way, you help young people like Ellen, Sarah, Darcy and Lauren learn how to use their own talents and interests to help others.
In 2005, Youth as Resources of Central Indiana funded 132 youth-directed volunteer projects in six counties: Boone, Hamilton, Hancock, Hendricks, Marion and Morgan. The projects involved 3,035 volunteers who contributed 56,957 hours of service benefiting an estimated 110,470 people.
Source:Hindustanis.org
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