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The first year we ran the Listen to a Life Contest, we received several hundred entries. Now, we receive several THOUSAND entries. And they are all wonderful in their own way. The quality of the writing and the creativity get better every year.
The Listen to a Life Contest requires two people -- one younger person and one older person -- to work together to create an entry. One person tells the story; the other person writes it. The younger person interviews the older person about their life and then writes a 300-word essay based on the interview. The theme of this year's contest -- hopes and dreams across a lifetime -- was inspired by a new book that was my dream for five years. I know what it's like to work toward a goal, overcome the inevitable obstacles, have to make changes in your course along the way, and finally feel a sense of satisfaction at having your dream achieved. Dream has won 11 national awards, including the International Reading Association Children's Choice -- books are read and voted on by 10,000 children across the US to choose the ones they like best. It's wonderful to have your dream connect with so many other people!
For the essay contest, an entry had to deal with the older person's hopes and goals through their life, how they achieved goals and overcame obstacles, how dreams may have changed along the way, and how they held on to a certain hopefulness in their life -- because life is rarely what you expect it to be. The entries ranged from serious and sad to playful and joyful. It was a great read and the judging committee and I thank all of you who entered for taking the time to share your stories with us. I know that the lure of the prizes may have initially prompted you to enter. And I wish we could give everyone who enters a prize! But after doing the interview and writing the essay, I hope you also know that the real prize is the experience of sharing someone's life and making or strengthening an intergenerational connection. I remember listening to my grandmother's stories when I was young. You can learn a lot when you listen to a life.
There was one 12-year-old entrant who summed up this contest well: "My ninety-one-year-old great-grandmother has lived through enormous events in history. So, why read a book when you can 'listen to a life?'... I enjoyed talking with her and learned much more than the few details in my essay. History is much more interesting when you listen to a life."
I think teacher Shelly Kennedy's students would agree. The delightful group of entries from Indiana described a trip to the Betz Nursing Home. Wrote one student, "Our third grade classes went to Betz Nursing Home to do an interview for the contest. We went in one class at a time and sat down in the lobby. Then our teacher, Mrs. Kennedy, read a book called Dream. After that, we were split into groups and interviewed ladies or men that we were assigned to. When everyone was done interviewing I gave my lady a hug and a special Valentine." Several students seemed to make friends. Wrote one, "My lady, Alice, is a good citizen and a nice friend because when I met her she talked to us in a friendly way." Said another, "The main reason I liked Shirley was Shirley was friendly and caring. And that's why it was one of the best days of my life!" Said yet another, "I thank my teacher, Mrs. Kennedy, for taking the class. This field trip is one of the best field trips I ever had." And then there was one student who unfortunately missed the field trip: "One day I was sick so I did not get to go to the coolest place on earth and that was Betz Nursing Home." When was the last time you heard a nursing home described as the "coolest place on earth?" Now that's cool!
We've had so many teachers, parents, and grandparents write and e-mail us to tell us how much they enjoy and appreciate the contest. Many times, grandparents and grandfriends feel they have little to offer in helping children with schoolwork. For this contest, even a grandparent who lives a distance away from their grandchild can help.
Says teacher Marla Friedman at Miami Country Day School in Florida, "My fifth grade students enjoyed working on their legacy essays. They got to know their relatives better and uncovered many treasured stories. They have participated in your contest with great enthusiasm."
Sandy Nichols, an eighth grade Language Arts teacher at Doe Creek Middle School in Indiana writes, "This has turned out to be a wonderful assignment for the students. They were dreading the interview at first, but found it to be a very rewarding and informative experience. I hope you enjoy reading their essays as much as I have."
Christopher Saldivar is the AVID coordinator at Ralston Middle School in California. The "Advancement Via Individual Determination" class is for those students who may be first to attend college, underrepresented in college, or who need extra help to ensure that they attend a four-year university. "Many thanks for a wonderful writing activity! I found my students to be very engaged."
Michelle Marks at Mountview Road School in New Jersey comments, "My children had a wonderful time completing this project. They learned some interesting things about people who they thought they knew everything about. I think it also opened their eyes to how valuable our elders can be and how much we can learn from them."
Because this is an annual contest, each year more and more teachers encourage their whole class, and even their whole school, to enter. Camille Parisi of Lakeland Copper Beech Middle School in New York enters her students every year. "As always, the students learned much about their own families as well as those of others. Thanks again for this wonderful writing contest."
We have some "thank you's" of our own. We'd like to thank all the teachers, parents, grandparents, and grandfriends who helped children enter and made sure the entries arrived on time. The Listen to a Life Contest would also not be possible without the support of certain companies and individuals. For generously supplying the contest prizes, I would like to thank IBM and Books Are Fun. I realize companies receive many requests for corporate support. Here are two companies who have embraced what the Legacy Project is all about and who are helping to make a real difference in the community. I would also like to thank the judging committee for all their hard work. Special thanks goes to one of our lead judges, Jim Barry. Jim is a man with both expertise and heart, and he brings both to the task of judging. He makes sure every single contest entry is read and considered -- so much so, that he has even admitted to dreaming about contest entries in his sleep as he's in the thick of judging! There's dedication.
We hope you enjoy reading the winning stories from the 2004-2005 Listen to a Life Contest. You'll find the Grand Prize winner followed by the ten runners-up. Note that runners-up are not ranked; they are simply presented in an order that makes for interesting reading. And don't forget to check back again to find out all the new things happening on the Legacy Project website. We have a new Listen to a Life Contest each year, and we have other contests coming, too. As always, we look forward to your participation!
With warm wishes,
Susan V. Bosak
Chair, Legacy Project
Click here to go to the 2004-2005 Listen to a Life Contest Grand Prize winner and the 10 Runners-up.
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