All it took was ice cream and a warm smile for a group of volunteers to form unforgettable friendships at Oak Grove Elementary.

These volunteers are residents of Arbor Terrace, an independent senior living community located in Peachtree City.

Oak Grove’s principal, Felecia Spicer, reached out to Arbor Terrace looking for volunteers and without hesitation 27 seniors offered their time to serve ice cream every day during lunch.

Spicer admits this started as a way to free up faculty and staff who would otherwise have to sell ice cream, but it has grown into something so much more, calling the volunteers “beautiful examples of love and kindness.”

Throughout the school year, students began to form special bonds with each volunteer referring to them as “bonus” grandparents, Spicer says, “The children couldn’t wait to see who would be selling ice cream.”

Creating positive, healthy relationships between children and older adults has always been important to Spicer since her days at Robert J. Burch Elementary where her own mother would volunteer to sell ice cream every Friday; “It gave her such purpose. I watched her interactions with children and the teachers and it was absolutely beautiful,” she says.

Inspired by her mother, Spicer continues to see the benefits of this intergenerational partnership at Oak Grove, “All of the love from the volunteers, faculty, and students generates energy and builds relationships. Those relationships inspire the children to work harder to be their personal best and inspire our volunteers to continue to make a difference in the lives of our children.”

Oak Grove’s faculty and staff have gained much respect and appreciation for each volunteer’s willingness to freely give of his or her time and commitment each day. To thank the volunteers, 24 students, along with Oak Grove’s music teacher Ashleigh Reyes, traveled to Arbor Terrace to sing a ‘Thank You’ song to their “bonus” grandparents and present them with a small gift of appreciation.

With many volunteers anticipating the next school year, Spicer is excited to continue growing and building this partnership. One volunteer says, “I can’t tell you how happy it makes me to show up at school and spend time with all of the children.”