Friends for the Holidays

Photos by Billie Throm

Article by Reese Borchert

NEWBERG, Ore. – Late in the semester, the course load thickens and so does the fog. With an 80% chance of rain, the campus consensus is surviving until break. George Fox University (GFU) students, however, have found warmth in a connection across Fulton Street. 

On Nov. 17, a group of business students hosted a Thanksgiving celebration at Friendsview. A mixture of students and residents gathered in a room above the main lobby. The pie was fresh and the Bingo prizes were new, but the idea of fellowship between generations began long before. 

Friendsview was completed in 1961 and is a multifaceted senior living establishment. There are spaces for independent living, assisted living, and nursing care. Fashioned with dining areas, a parking garage, gardens, and the Cherry Street Bistro, the world of Friendsview in many ways mirrors some semblance of GFU. 

Before the restrictions that came with COVID-19, a part of Spiritual Life’s Be Neighbors program was matching residents and students in a sort of buddy system. Although changes have occurred over the years, the relationship between GFU and Friendsview has remained strong as fellowship events and Serve Day traditions continue.

“It’s such a cool relationship,” says Isabella Herboldt, a sophomore nursing major, “because lots of the residents were alumni.” Herboldt has worked in the assisted living portion of Friendsview and notes that they are “super intertwined” and share Quaker values.

“They always get excited to meet a new college kid,” says Atalia Fisher, a Spiritual Life intern who works on the Serve Team, especially through the Generation Connections program. She plans and promotes monthly opportunities, often partnering with the Honors Program or Crochet Club, where “anyone’s welcome to show up.”

There are more ways for students to be affiliated than traveling over to the complex. During a Wednesday chapel, attendants were asked to decorate a Christmas card that would later be taken to Friendsview. After worship, there was an invitation for students to join in distributing the festive messages to the memory care center. “It's so cool to deliver them and see residents' reactions, but also cool that students get to be involved without doing too much extra,” says Fisher. About 130 cards were made that night.

In her position, Fisher has formed lasting friendships with some of the residents, often of Charles Beales Plaza. She tells of how she encountered one woman multiple times, and they bonded as Fisher guided her through the crochet process, despite her visual impairment. They now sometimes meet up for an hour to continue the friendship. 

“Sometimes we crochet, and sometimes we just chat,” says Fisher. 

“I think there's a lot of wisdom there that can be lost really easily,” says Dale Faubion, a senior honors student. “Given our college age, there’s lots to glean from interacting regularly with folks that do know a lot.” 

Faubion was one of about 30 who went to the Friendsview community garden on Serve Day. Students were instructed by the residents who tend to the plants to pull weeds, clear and level pathways between beds, transfer compost, dispose of defective tomato cages, and, classically, remove blackberry bushes. 

“They were all super nice and very welcoming, simultaneously like 'We've gotta get this done!' and laid back,” says Faubion. “It was neat, and afterwards they served us ice cream, which was really cool.” He wishes he had been able to speak with the gardeners even more to know them on a personal level. 

“It reminds me of home in some ways…,” says Faubion. He compares his time spent at Friendsview to his interactions with grandparents or people from his church. 

The street is not one-way, as residents will visit campus also. 

“They’ll come to our Christmas concerts, get an entire row and all sit together,” says Sélah Moncur, a student who helped organize the Friendsgiving event. While some residents wish that students would return to visit again soon, others enjoy fostering the community by visiting the university. Sports games, theatre productions, and trails through the canyon are all leveraged opportunities to interact with the institution. 

“You make me feel loved when I’m around you,” says Marlene Watson. Watson was quoting a little girl for whom she used to care, recalling fondly the days when she spent more time with children. Watson’s hopes to win Bingo were unrealized, yet she was able to emanate love again to the young guests that evening.