MVHS student leads fundraiser to ''Engage with the elderly''
MEDIA ADVISORY
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Ursula Kroemer Leimbach communications@mvla.net / mobile: (760) 705-6919
May 15, 2020
Mountain View High School student leads fundraiser to “Engage with the Elderly” aiming to bring comfort and fun into the lives of nursing home residents
Student has raised $2,000+ to buy activity kits, portable DVD players and headphones to deliver to local nursing homes;
now coordinating ‘virtual musical showcase’ with students to provide on-demand entertainment
WHAT: The consequences of social isolation among older adults are increasingly a concern during the ongoing shelter-in-place and quarantine practices. Healthcare professionals say self-isolation disproportionately affects elderly people whose only social contact is out of home, such as going to church, the grocery store, or sharing meals at senior living facilities.
It’s a concern Kamran Zia has taken to heart.
The MVHS junior says he is seeing firsthand how social distancing has caused a drastic increase in anxiety and a sense of loneliness in his grandparents, who live in England.
“I have found that communicating with my grandparents on a frequent basis, via video chat and telephone, has helped them to feel connected to the outside world,” said Zia.
Their conversations prompted him to talk with local care facilities about combatting social isolation.
“I learned that many older adults would also benefit from engagement through fun activities, which can help bring a sense of comfort to the elderly who may be feeling lonely,” he added.
So he started an “Engage with the Elderly” fundraiser to raise money to buy tablet devices, arts and crafts kits, knitting supplies, word search puzzles, DVD players, and board games to donate to several local care facilities.
So far, Zia has raised enough to purchase 200 activity kits, along with portable DVD players and headphones, and will start delivering the items the week of May 25 (after his AP exams are all done).
In parallel, he has also started an outreach effort to ask students at the local schools and their families to volunteer to communicate and connect with residents at care and nursing home facilities. He’s asked fellow MVHS students to participate in a “Virtual Musical Extravaganza” consisting of videos from choir performers, dancers, and instrumental music students.
“We’re recording messages, jokes, birthday songs, and performances to be played at the nursing homes to help combat some of the loneliness being experienced due to the pandemic,” Zia added. “The idea is to comfort and bring some fun back into their lives and help them know they’re not alone.”
WHO TO CONTACT TO LEARN MORE:
Kamran Zia, MVHS Junior
Cell: 650-208-0637
Please note Kamran is taking AP tests so may not respond right away.
ABOUT MOUNTAIN VIEW HIGH SCHOOL: Mountain View High School is one of two comprehensive public high schools that serve the families of the Mountain View-Los Altos Union High School District. Mountain View High School serves a diverse student body of over 2,000 students. It has been recognized by the California Department of Education as a California Gold Ribbon School, citing its “Equal Opportunities Schools” program that identifies and supports first generation students taking rigorous academic courses. It has been consistently ranked as one of the nation’s top high schools by Newsweek. More than 95% of the Class of 2019 advanced to post-secondary schools.
About the Mountain View Los Altos High School District
The Mountain View Los Altos High School District (MVLA) reflects the diversity, ambitions and spirit of innovation of the Silicon Valley. We are proud to serve approximately 4,400 students from the communities of Mountain View, Los Altos, and Los Altos Hills. MVLA is comprised of two comprehensive high schools, an alternative high school, an adult education center, the Freestyle Academy for Arts & Technology, and Middle College. Our comprehensive schools, Los Altos High School and Mountain View High School, are consistently ranked in the top 500 high schools nationally.
The MVLA High School District is located approximately 15 miles north of San Jose and 40 miles south of San Francisco. Our communities are home to a variety of high-tech firms including Google, Microsoft, LinkedIn, Intuit and Synopsys, as well as NASA-Ames. Learn more at www.mvla.net.
