Community members, students foster relationships through pen pal program

In the age of "LOLs" and emoticons, a collaboration between Harris-Lake Park elementary school and members of the community is working to save the lost art of letter writing, crossing a generational divide with an ongoing pen pal project.

Deb Morrow, a librarian at H-LP and organizer of the pen pal project, first presented the idea to community members several years ago, gathering a group of around 30 volunteers to meet with third grade students. A grant from the Dickinson County Endowment fund recently allowed the project to expand to include fourth- and fifth-grade students, and a total of nearly 70 community members.

Community members read three books a year with their assigned student, meet at the school to discuss the books. The pairs take quizzes and write letters between face-to-face interactions.

Letters quickly expand beyond the content of the book the pen pals read together. It's an aspect of the program enjoyed by Aleene Worrick, a community member who has been involved with the project for three years.

"They enjoy hearing about your past; what you did as a kid, what school was like for you," Worrick said. "Answering some of those questions kind of makes us think about that."

Jeff Johnson, a volunteer with the program for three years, enjoys reading about what is going on in the lives of Harris Lake Park's youngsters, including his current pen pal, fifth-grade student Zach Garms.

"I love the letters," Johnson said. "Just how they tell about what they're doing, and it's phenomenal, they way they tell things -- like what they did over Thanksgiving, (or) Christmas."

Terry Morrow, in his third year with the program, sees the importance of the project in allowing students to remove communication barriers. The project encourages them to find comfort in talking to older adults in the community.

"It allows young people the opportunity to see adults as not necessarily a wall," he said. "They can communicate; it kind of jumps a whole generation gap ... (and) it bridges that gap some. I've had five or six (pen pals) over the past few years; and every single one of them will say 'hi' to me if they see me on Main Street or in the park, or someplace where they probably wouldn't have even known my name necessarily."

Morrow isn't the only member of the program who sees the importance of crossing the age divide to foster community relationships.

"I have really enjoyed getting to know the kids, I don't have contact with them in any other way" said Betty McClure, who has been involved with the program for two years, and is currently reading "Who Won the War" with her pen pal, third grader Mady Son.

The relationships between students and their pen pals quickly spread beyond the walls of the school."

"It's been two years now since (my husband) Bob passed away, but we were in the hospital in Sioux Falls and (my pen pal) Trevor wrote me while I was up there, and I thought 'how sweet to do that,' " Worrick said. "He said 'I don't know what to say, but I'm thinking of your family,' I thought that was pretty cool for a kid his age."

While the grade-school participants in the program offer up encouragement to their adult counterparts, they also appreciate the chance to receive support, as well.

"They know some kids have been through some rough stuff; they're someone to talk to," said third-grade student Bobby Oakley, pen pal to Terry Morrow.

Fifth-grade student Zach Garms simply made a revelation about reading through the program, thanks to a growing connection with his pen pal.

"You like books better when you read them with someone else," Garms said.