information from Providence Mount St. Vincent

Providence Mount St. Vincent is offering cash awards to winners of a new essay contest open to parents and graduates of its internationally recognized Intergenerational Learning Center (ILC). 

Thirty years ago, Providence Mount St. Vincent, fondly known as The Mount, created a ground-breaking program that brings together the very young and the very old in one place, through its intergenerational program model at the on-site Intergenerational Learning Center. The program has been recognized around the world and imitated for its innovative approach to childcare and intergenerational bonding. A documentary film and word of The Mount’s intergenerational program has resulted in national and international media coverage and study visits from around the world. 

This year The Mount is celebrating this program with the Turner Intergenerational Essay Awards. Named for Dyke R. Turner, the visionary architect who was key in inspiring and designing the program and spaces in 1991, the essay contest invites parents and graduates of the ILC to write about how their time at the center has impacted their lives.

The Mount is offering $1,000 first place awards and $250 second and third place awards in four age categories. Essays are due by March 3, 2020.  

Writers should submit an essay of no more than 500 words about how their experience at the ILC shows up in their life, or their child’s life today. Complete the entry form, found online at providence.org/themount/turnerawards, and mail or email the completed form and essay to:  ann.martin@providence.org or Ann Martin, Providence Mount St. Vincent, 4831 35th Ave SW, Seattle, WA. 98126. 

Parents of students too young to write could work with their child to create an essay together as a fun at-home project.

The team at the Mount is looking forward to reading all the stories, especially those that demonstrate a greater compassion for elders, diverse populations and showcase their experiences within such a wonderful community setting.

“We hear anecdotal stories all the time about how students who have attended the ILC demonstrate a certain comfort with elders or those with limited abilities and also students who later seek a career in healthcare or service following their early years of learning at The Mount,” said Molly Swain, The Mount’s Foundation and Public Relations Director. “What lessons from this experience do they carry through life? We’re looking forward to reading stories about specific memories from the ILC or times when their intergenerational learning experience called them to respond in a more accepting or compassionate way, particularly with an elder.”

First place winning essays will be featured at The Mount’s President’s dinner on March 19, 2020, at The Sanctuary at Admiral in West Seattle. All essays will be archived as part of the ILC program’s history and will be used to document the benefits of the ILC program on its graduates and the community.