These Ontario residents sparked an unlikely friendship and they owe it all to a green bench
CBC
Cecile Wilkinson always wanted grandchildren.
This past June, she finally got her wish — though it didn't happen as you might expect.
Wilkinson was sitting on a green bench at the library branch in Tecumseh, Ont., when a young teenage boy sat down beside her.
The 83-year-old lives at The Village of Aspen Lake in Windsor — a seniors' home run by Schlegel Villages. The privately owned company's green bench initiative, which started about a decade ago, encourages community members to take a seat next to seniors and listen to their wisdom.
"I just figured that was to be, just sitting on the bench, but then they introduced me to Matthew," said Wilkinson.
What followed was an instant connection, sparked by stories of Wilkinson's life and her trip to Walt Disney World.
"It was really interesting to hear like her perspective of going there and seeing something that she's like loved all of her life," said 13-year-old Matthew Wilder, who also loves Disney.
It was an unexpected connection and one that's continued to grow since Wilder and his mom have been visiting Wilkinson at her care home.
Now, sitting side by side, the pair talk and laugh just like a grandmother and grandson would.
"He's just a sweetheart. I really enjoy his company," said Wilkinson. "I'm surprised anybody would take interest in me."
But Wilder can't believe anyone wouldn't. —
"I'm learning about like how she lived her life and how it's kind of similar to how I'm trying to live my life, like she always lived her life with like kindness and I just kinda want to do the same thing," he said.
The goal of the green bench is to spark conversations between different generations — encouraging elderly people to share their wisdom with younger community members, according to Jenny Brown, director of recreation at The Village of Aspen Lake.
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