Stories
United States
Across Generations, Hope Finds a Home
The Oprah Winfrey Show first featured Dr. Brenda Eheart and her nonprofit, Generations of Hope, eight years ago. At the time, Brenda’s group was pouring its heart into an intergenerational community in Rantoul, Ill., called Hope Meadows. The innovative community brought together adoptive families, troubled foster kids and senior citizens to share their everyday struggles and provide a natural support system.
Over the years, great friendships and bonds formed between the generations. The program, the evidence suggested, was working. Since being founded in 1994, Hope Meadows has helped approximately 55 children live with adoptive families.
In 2005, the program caught the eye of the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, which pledged more than $7 million to spread the intergenerational model nationwide. With the foundation’s support, Eheart and her colleagues formed the Generations of Hope Development Corporation to begin implementing the model in 11 other states.
The Original Model Stays Strong
Created on a former Air Force base—where housing and infrastructure already existed—the Hope Meadows community currently consists of 10 families, 30 adopted kids and 42 seniors. The families live rent-free and are treated as an employee of the organization. Each family adopts three to four troubled children (often a set of siblings), all of whom have been shuffled around in the foster care system for years and have needs that often exceed what traditional foster homes can provide.
“The children have a history of abuse and neglect,” said Brenda. “There are so many heart-wrenching stories. Often they are behind in school, have no social skills and don’t trust anyone.”
That’s where the rest of the Hope Meadows community picks up the slack. Along with help from on-site social workers and counselors, the seniors fill the role of community grandparents. The seniors are required to give six hours a week of volunteer time in exchange for below market rents. In reality, they end up spending much more time with the kids.
“They go to their games, hold their hands, take them to get a treat or just listen to them,” said Brenda. “It’s those everyday things that help the children blossom.”
Helping Seniors Cope, Too
Over the years, Brenda has realized that the community environment helps seniors cope with aging. The kids—who first benefited from the senior’s attention—want to return the love. They bring them papers in the morning, help them walk around and forge bonds that are hard to re-create in assisted living environments, where most senior citizens go to live.
Brenda hopes this promising model can one day replace the current one, which she says takes retired people away from their support systems.
“So much more can be done to handle the later years in a better way,” said Brenda.
A Rewarding Career
Brenda’s vision and service have earned her much acclaim. The Heinz Family Foundation recently recognized her with its 14th annual Heinz Award for the Human Condition. The $250,000 grant will be awarded on Oct. 21, 2008. In September, 2008, The New York Times featured the program’s successes (read the The New York Times article).
Brenda started her journey to help children 40 years ago as a case worker in Cabrini Green, one of Chicago’s toughest housing projects. She knows that many of the same problems that existed then still exist today.
But the intergenerational model she helped build brings her hope.
“Most exciting to me is that our legacy will be realizing the promise of ordinary people,” she said. “Our seniors, children and everybody involved are our quiet heroes. We have begun to recognize that a caring intergenerational community can address and solve social problems we haven’t been able to solve.”
- In just 5 minutes you can help by:
- IDEA 1: Visit the W.K Kellogg Foundation for in-depth interviews with members of Hope Meadows and more pictures of the community.
