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PRINCETON, NJ/Princeton Patch — Brandywine Living and YingHua International School will come together in a sign of peace for International Peace Day on Sept. 21. Quite literally.
School children and residents at the senior living facility will unite to form a 180-person human peace sign at the school’s campus in Kingston, New Jersey, according to the facility. The image will be captured by the Franklin Fire Department, which will take an aerial photo of the massive peace sign.
The event brings together Brandywine Living, the premier provider of quality care and services to seniors, and YingHua International School, a non-profit, independent, Chinese-English dual language immersion school, to mark a global holiday devoted to strengthening the ideals of peace, within and among all nations and people.
“Our residents love connecting with the younger generation,” said Stephanie Gaber, Escapades Producer at Brandywine Living at Princeton. “Participating in events like International Peace Day enables our residents to build relationships with youth and teach them lessons of acceptance and growth. Watching both generations interact is a truly rewarding and mutually beneficial experience.”
The event, which begins at 2:30 p.m., will kick off with a brief history of International Peace Day, followed by approximately 50 Brandywine residents from Princeton, Brick, Pennington, Tom’s River and Mountain Ridge joining the YingHua community of students, Early Learning, ages two through eighth grade, faculty, parents and staff from YingHua International School to form a large human peace sign on the field next to the school.
After the peace sign has been created, paper peace doves will be distributed to anyone who joins this event as a spectator.
“At YingHua, we educate our students through an inquiry-based model of experiential learning. It is important for our students to participate in intergenerational programs and be introduced to positive role models with members of the community,” said Felicia Pan-Fea, Director of Marketing at YingHua International School. “Participating in this event provides a direct curriculum tie and the opportunity to learn the lessons of peace and tolerance while experiencing the lessons brought to life from history with the residents of Brandywine.”
“Participating in events with the students of YingHua is always a highlight for me,” said Kirt Wedemeyer, a current resident of Brandywine Princeton. “Children have such a different perspective on the world so it’s nice to spend time with them.”