AUGUST 29, 2011, Washington, DC –
Children in Tulsa, OK are challenging kids across the country to learn more about their grandparents. They're kicking off the Legacy Project's 12th annual Listen to a Life Essay Contest. The national contest, run in partnership with Generations United in Washington, DC, receives thousands of entries every year from Los Angeles to New York. The Grand Prize is a Lenovo ThinkCentre computer and $25,000 of EdOptions' Orchard Software.

Tulsa has made a citywide commitment to encourage intergenerational connections.

"What we learn, what we teach, and what we pass from one generation to another is truly what keeps our memories, hopes, and dreams alive," says Tulsa's Mayor Dewey Bartlett. "How we pass our values, our heritage, and our legacy from one time to another can be taught and can be learned."

Tulsa is launching a One City, One Book intergenerational education program on National Grandparents Day. Mayor Bartlett is visiting a local school to do a reading of Dream by Susan V. Bosak, and families across the city will be encouraged to share the book. Illustrated by 15 top artists, Dream is a story about hopes and dreams across a lifetime told by a wise old star grandparent figure. Over the next few months, local seniors will then visit schools and students will visit seniors facilities to do life interviews.

"Tulsa is showing other cities what's possible," says Legacy Project Chair Susan Bosak. "This contest gives children and older adults everywhere the perfect excuse to sit down and get to know each other on another level. Research tells us these relationships are important to a child's social and emotional development."

Young people learn a lot about their family, themselves, and even history when they listen to the life stories of a grandparent or grandfriend. Many young people are surprised by what they learn.

"I see my grandma a lot, but not until this contest did I really realize who she is," says one of last year's entrants, 13-year-old Kyle Macdowell from Arlington, TX. "I never knew about her background or what struggles she has had."

To enter the Listen to a Life Contest, young people 8-18 years interview a grandparent or grandfriend 50 years or older about the older person's hopes and goals through their life, how they achieved their goals and overcame obstacles, or key life experiences. The young person then writes a 300-word essay based on the interview.

The Grand Prize is a Lenovo ThinkCentre computer and the winner's school also receives $25,000 of Orchard Software from EdOptions. Twenty runner-up prizes include an MP3 player from EdOptions and $400 of software. All winners receive an autographed copy of Dream and a framed keepsake of their entry courtesy of Frame USA. Young people from the feature city of Tulsa are eligible for a special Legacy Award.

Theresa Johnson, a teacher at Maple Point School in Pennsylvania, enters her students every year. "One girl told me her grandmother cried when she asked her if she could interview her for this contest. Another student explained that he knew his grandfather his whole life, but never really knew he had such a fascinating life story. One boy said he's going to continue to write down the life stories of his family in order to preserve them for his children to enjoy."

This year's Listen to a Life Contest runs to March 30, 2012.

For complete contest details and free online Across Generations activity ideas for children and grandparents, visit www.legacyproject.org.