We celebrated the 1-year anniversary of Fable Friendships on June 18, 2025. It was a fun day with our parents, grandmother, Scott (the enrichment director at Ridgefield Station), and 12 seniors.

The room was decorated with balloons and stars, which made the celebration feel extra special. Scott kindly provided all the decorations, food, and drinks, so we want to give him a very special thank you for helping make the day so memorable.

Our dad helped us make surveys for the seniors so we could learn how the program was going and what everyone enjoyed most.

During the celebration, we shared some of the survey results and thanked the seniors for all their kindness, encouragement, and support during our first year of Fable Friendships.

We also enjoyed cake, snacks, and games together. We even received volunteer certificates for completing 200 hours of volunteering.

It was one of our favorite Fable Friendships days ever!

Year 1 Reflections

At the end of the first year of Fable Friendships, 7 seniors filled out surveys about our weekly reading visits.

Back then, the program was still very small. Usually, only a few seniors (2-9) came to listen to us read stories, poems, and books.

At first, we were nervous readers and were scared to speak out loud. But little by little, something special started to happen.

What We Learned in Year 1

• Stories helped start conversations and laughter
• Seniors enjoyed spending time together each week
• We slowly became more confident readers and speakers
• Seeing the same faces each week helped us build friendships

Voices From Year 1

“The girls are delightful.”

“I enjoy listening to them read.”

“The sessions brighten the day.”

“I enjoy the interaction.”

“The girls have become more confident.”

Looking Back

By the end of Year 1, we realized that Fable Friendships was becoming more than just reading books out loud. The weekly visits helped us build real friendships with the seniors.