Intergenerational Connections: Ladies Under Construction Unveils Community Initiative

Ladies Under Construction, a dedicated mentoring group, has launched a community initiative called Generations to Generations Connect to foster safety and personal growth among young girls in Indianapolis.

The program involves visits from young ladies to residents at Arlington Place Health Campus on the east side, where they spend time together having fun, finding common interests, and providing companionship.

"It's a companion program. So each of the young ladies actually have a resident to where they visit a couple times a month, just having fun, finding out what they like, and really being that companion," said Ladies Under Construction Founder Aleanya Moore.

Moore hopes the program will benefit residents who may not receive visits from family members and help them feel less lonely. The initiative kicked off with a personal care drive hosted by Ladies Under Construction at Arlington Place, where girls in the program took residents around to collect personal hygiene items for free.

"I'll tell you what it does. It sends up shivers right up my back to see this, because it is so sweet, those girls doing it," said Resident Minerva Yonts.

Resident Marilyn DuPriest also praised the program, saying, "Everything on that table… a pillow.. a blanket…wash clothes, socks. They are so helpful – that one that helped me…. She's no bigger than I am, and she's pushing my wheelchair. She was great!"

"To be able to get this stuff at no charge, and to just think that someone else is thinking about them, and don't want me thinking to reach in return, but to make them happy is definitely a blessing," said Regina Hopkins, Life Enrichment Director at Arlington Place.

Ladies Under Construction serves girls ages five to 17. Moore founded the program 16 years ago, citing her own experiences growing up without female role models as inspiration for the organization's mission.

"Growing up with my grandmother, I really didn't have a lot of female role models, and so there was a lot of things that I didn't get internally, so it really kind of birthed in that purpose out of some of the pain that I had as a young girl," Moore said.

Moore hopes the Generations to Generations Connect program will bridge the generational gap between the young participants and elderly residents, fostering mutual understanding and empathy.

"Allow them to have that empathy for our elders, and also allowing our elders to see the young people in a different space," Moore said.

The efforts of Ladies Under Construction are funded by a grant from the Central Indiana Senior Fund, which supports programs for low-to-moderate-income older adults in the region. This summer, the girls will also be paired with residents at two other facilities, expanding their outreach and impact within the community.