The beginning of the event felt like a rush, especially because my group's boutique section was where most people headed immediately when the event began. However, I felt so happy seeing how eager people were to go to our little boutique. After a while, the first person that stood out to me during the day was a woman named Karen. She picked out a few items, and I handed her a bag as she was browsing around. As she lingered around in our section, I found it so adorable to see her trying on clothes and having her own mini fashion show in the back as we hyped her up for her choices. Moreover, Karen was extremely wholesome and generous because she started styling others who came to the boutique and offered them clothes that she tried on but felt they would look better on others. At one point, she even began to help us sort through and hang the rest of the clothes we had bought—recognizing the benefit of volunteer work for older adults, I allowed her to join us and Karen seemed to really enjoy being part of our boutique.
She definitely had a great fashion sense, and she even went back home so she could show us her personal color analysis. Her results were a memento of a memory she had shopping with her mother in 1986, and it was really impressive that she still had it. I loved how animated she became as she pulled out a few more items and started to show us how it worked. Karen's enthusiasm and generosity were definitely a standout and taught me how important it is to give back and share kindness with your community despite adversity. She has a big heart, and I aspire to be as kind and giving as she is when I grow older.
Another person I met at this event was Richard, who made bouquets with me, Kal and Carolina. His personality was a foil to Karen's because he was more on the introverted side, but he still had a bunch of friends from the West Center who stopped by our section to talk with him. He appreciated the event we put up and wanted us to continue these kinds of events in the future because he loves how they foster community engagement. We even taught him a few lessons we've learned in our course, especially the lesson of how creating and maintaining strong support networks and social relationships is important to healthy aging.
At the end of the day, this event made me realize how important it is to facilitate opportunities where people can connect with their community. The intergenerational aspect of this event felt empowering to me because I haven't had many opportunities to engage with older adults in a more positive and supportive context. In the future, I hope to host events like this on my own more often to spread love in the community and make sure that our older generations feel cared for.