MIDDLETOWN >> The children of Minnie Cannon Elementary School visited the Middletown Senior Center on Valentine’s Day for the fifth year in a row.
Each year, they present every senior with a box of wrapped candy including salted caramels, chocolate-covered cherries, peanut brittle, and assorted See’s candies. The candy was donated by attendees of a singles party at the home of CEO and President of Applied Financial Technology Michael Bykhovsky. He lives in San Francisco’s Pacific Heights area and made his home available for the fundraiser. In addition to the financial donation to the Minnie Cannon and the senior center, the event provided over 75 boxes of candy.
At the Valentine Senior luncheon, each student was dressed in red and pink shirts. They serenaded the seniors with several songs. The children have prepared individual speeches and have made personalized homemade cards for each person to go along with the presentation of the candy.
Every year, the luncheon has a sell-out crowd and the love shared between the generations is evident. One senior said, “I look forward to my candy and Valentine’s every year. Last year, my Valentine curtsied and made me a card with 307 kisses.”
Georgia Guerrero, one of the students, said, “It made me feel so good to give back to the elderly. I will never forget how I felt.”
The Valentine senior-student luncheon was created by Pari Livermore and is part of the Livermore Scholarship program honoring students who do community service. Since 2011, twenty-four students have won scholarships through the program for activities like gardening, leadership, science, community service, 4-H, athletics, and music.
