Community

Being Neighborly | Young volunteer bridges generations at Gig Harbor Court

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Community stories are made possible in part by Peninsula Light Co, a proud sponsor of Gig Harbor Now.

We want this column to showcase how someone in the community — a stranger, neighbor, teacher, classmate, anyone — has helped someone else. It could be a small act of kindness or a big one: Has someone tracked you down when you’ve lost your wallet? Did someone lead you to a resource that made your life easier? Were you encouraged by a stranger while having a tough day? Send your submissions for the Being Neighborly column to [email protected]. And click here to receive Being Neighborly early as a newsletter.

One conversation with 9-year-old Hope B., and it’s clear that she has a caring heart, the ability to empathize, and a desire to help others. Once a week, Hope volunteers at Gig Harbor Court, an assisted living facility with 70 residents.

Hope lives with her grandparents, and her grandmother, Connie, sits close by, watching as Hope brings joy to residents and staff at the assisted living facility. Connie’s sister, Cindy, lives there. That is how Hope was introduced to the residents.

While visiting with her grandmother’s sister, Hope was comfortable interacting and conversing with the seniors. She naturally began to help them with certain tasks.

“One of the women had dropped something, and I watched Hope help by picking up things for her,” Connie said.

Hope B. is already giving back to her community, and she’s only 9 years old. Here, she leads some of the residents in chair yoga exercises at Gig Harbor Court. Hope volunteers there on weekends, painting nails and leading chair yoga. Photo courtesy of Gig Harbor Court

Her natural inclination to help without being asked, along with her ability to easily talk with the adults there, caught the eye of the staff. They invited her to volunteer, and she chose two activities. She paints nails for anyone who would like to come to her table and choose a nail color and she helps lead the chair yoga program.

Hope said that residents are always happy to see her. One woman who lives there is legally blind and very hard of hearing. Hope paints nails, and when that woman first sat down to get her nails done she didn’t realize that Hope would be painting her nails, and was pleasantly surprised.

“She was sitting with me, and then when she knew it was me she said, ‘I’m sitting at the Hope table?” she said.

Hope gets joy from bringing joy, and she said that the reason she wants to volunteer at the facility is to make people smile.

“Just because they don’t do very many things doesn’t mean they aren’t fun to hang out with,” she said of the friends she has made there.

Executive Director LaTanya Jules said that Gig Harbor Court staff are happy to have Hope volunteering with residents.

“We are glad to support Hope as she connects with residents through activities that matter to her,” Jules said. “Her dedication to volunteering is a great example of the positive impact that young people can have.”

Hope enjoys painting nails, and leading chair yoga, and she said that she has a good time with the residents at Gig Harbor Court. Her future plans are to start her own business making slime, a popular item for kids her age, and when she grows up she wants to become a zoo keeper, so she can be a panda caretaker, she said.