BY KAREN BOSSICK

They got to know their elders, visiting with them at The Senior Connection before the coronavirus pandemic cut off the connection

Now the 40-some students who are a part of I Have a Dream Foundation-Idaho are trying to keep up the spirits of their older friends while they’re at home trying to avoid the virus.

Spurred on by Leslie Silva, who volunteers with both I Have a Dream and The Senior Connection, the youngsters have become pen pals to seniors who are staying at home during the pandemic.

They’re drawing art and writing short letters. They then laminate their art so they can be wiped free of germs, sanitized and delivered with The Connection’s Meals to Go.

A picture of a panda bear lying under a bamboo tree says “La vie est belle,” or “Life is beautiful.”

One with a duck holding an Easter egg says, “Have a very, merry spring!”

 Another says, “You are inspiring and beautiful” while still another says “Courage Above Fear.”

“While drawing these cards of hope and inspiration, I told myself to be appreciative of what we have and how we’re spending time as a family,” said Eduardo Escalera. “But I also thought that there are people out there that are spending their days alone or with a pet. I draw to inspire hope and strength because that is what we need during these times.

Escalera added that he hopes those who see his drawings and writings will remember that they are not alone and that “we will get through this.”

“We need to not give up and hope for the best,” he added.

Mariyah Cueva-Calderon says that she was glad to have the opportunity to make cards for those who mean so much to her.

“And drawing this art made me consider and remember all the good things we have in life,” she added.