Meet Lois Gerstein, A former medical social worker with an MSW from NYU, she also ran a children’s bookstore, combining her passion for books and early childhood education. After relocating to New Jersey, she transitioned to legal work, earning a paralegal certificate from NYU and spending twenty years with the New Jersey State Attorney General’s office. She later assisted her husband in researching and writing a practical guide on education law. Since retiring in 2020, Lois has been actively involved in volunteer work, including reading to children, and was excited to join GrandPals after hearing about it from a friend.

“I was greeted with a home made Valentine from the little girl that I read to. It was very unexpected as it was not Valentines Day. It really warmed my heart. Last week she hugged my legs at the end of our reading time together. It’s the little things like this that make this experience so rewarding.”

Caroline Purnell has been a GrandPal for the past two years. She is retired from teaching French, Spanish, and ESL for adults, and embodies a deep passion for travel and multiculturalism.

This year as a GrandPal has been special for me since I am able to read to my granddaughter as well as one of her classmates. There is so much joy reading to Mabel and Stella, and they enjoy reading to me from time to time! Once, we made up our own stories, which was a lot of fun. For me, it’s a half hour of smiles, laughter, giggles, and wonder. At the end of each session, I watch as a class of kindergartners leaves the library with huge smiles on their faces. I think the GrandPals have even bigger smiles on their faces!

Meet Dave Olson, a recently retired Special Education teacher with a passion for supporting students of all abilities. Originally from the Philadelphia area, he began his career as a school bus driver before moving to New York to attend the Bank Street Graduate School of Education — a transformative experience that led him to a lifelong career in special education. He spent twenty-nine years in the West Windsor-Plainsboro School District, working in both high schools within the Special Services Department. In addition to his teaching career, Dave has dedicated many summers to tutoring and working in various camps, enriching the lives of countless students.

GrandPals has brought me so much happiness. I spent about forty years in classrooms, and (most years) was grateful that that got to be my life. Then — boom — retirement. The part of it being a job and all the joys of relatively inadequate administrators is what wears ya down. It’s the kids and the craft which gets you up at 6:00 and which holds meaning. GrandPals is showing me a way to have my cake and eat it too. I get to enjoy the pure joy of reading to kids who want you to read to them just cause. I get my cake and eat it too.

And you are gracious and warm and welcoming and kind and have a brilliant program of which l am so proud to be a part of. I so look forward to each session and the time flies.

Deb Pillow, originally from Michigan and with a background in teaching and storytelling, found her perfect fit in GrandPals after moving to Princeton from Arizona just two-and-a-half years ago. With two married sons and four grandchildren spread across the country, GrandPals allows her to indulge her love for books and young children while enjoying retirement in Princeton.

What amazing, funny, precious…and smart….kindergartners there are in our schools! They all come with smiles and eagerness as we greet them each week. I have been blessed with four adorable “Pals,” two of whom can already read, one as fluently as I do !!!! When I have had him as a solo “Pal,” we take turns reading and it is a delight to see this bright, young mind at work. All four are sounding out words, recognizing words (though this has not been an emphasis during our time together), and enjoying stories. it is so amazing to see all their minds at work and their enthusiasm for books and reading.

What wonderful young minds, with a love of learning! The highlight of my week.

Bob Swierczek, a United States Navy veteran, resides in Princeton, where he selflessly dedicates his time to various volunteer roles. He serves as a crossing guard for the police department, assists as fire police for the fire department, reads to kindergarten classes, and organizes trips to Washington, D.C. for fellow veterans.

After several years of being in GrandPals and thinking of things to do other than reading, this year I decided to play some games with my Pals.

So after a few books and about ten minutes left in the session I started to play some games. First we did “Simon Says,” the next week “I Spy” and several more games as the weeks went by. This week we did “Password” and the kids got kick out of it. At first I came up with the word and gave them clues and after a few trys they would guess the word. We needed more than ten minutes since they really got into the game.

GrandPals is just not about reading with them, it’s about having fun with them.

Christine Piatek was a GrandPal at Littlebrook School before the pandemic and eagerly rejoined when the program returned in full swing. Before retiring, she worked as a public sector lawyer specializing in environmental law. Now, she dedicates her time to supporting the community, tutoring ESL with Literacy NJ-Mercer County, and volunteering with various programs. For Christine, reading with young students is a true joy — their enthusiasm for books makes every session special.

On Wednesday, I was in the hallway near our classroom in the Johnson Park school waiting for the rest of the GrandPals. An older boy was walking up the hallway and saw my name tag with “Grandpals” on it and said “Are you a Grandpal?” I said “I am.” And, he smiled, said “Wow,” and went into his classroom. It seems we’re famous!

Frank McBrearity is pursuing a degree in MGA (Master’s of Grandparent Administration) and spreading joy one fist bump at a time.

 

I believe I am making good progress toward my Masters in Grandparent Administration, the MGA, from Princeton.

I exited a class just before Christmas and a young woman caught my attention just outside the Library at Riverside. “Hi, are you Mr. Frank?”

“Yes, I am.” I replied.

“Well, my son Owen really enjoys your GrandPal sessions. He really likes you and looks forward to the Tuesday mornings with you. I get a report every Tuesday afternoon.”

“Thank you very much. It’s my pleasure. Owen has introduced me to PD&D Studies: Pokemon, Dragons, and Dinosaurs, a special group of studies and Owen is an expert.”

“Owen is an expert on these for sure. Thank you for your participation. Nice to meet you.”

This MGA experience helps to keep my attention away from the news of the day, and focus on my studies with Owen, Lia, Yuhito, and Kai. Terrific.

Sweet Moment at Princeton Community Event

Cameron

We’re excited to share a sweet moment from our recent Princeton community event that truly captures the spirit of our GrandPals program. At our table, we displayed our new GrandPals flyer, featuring a photo of one of our cherished pairs.

During the event, a family stopped by, and the little boy’s mom pointed at the flyer with excitement. “Cameron, look, this is you!” she exclaimed. The look on Cameron’s face was unforgettable — his smile was pure joy! The family was so thrilled that they took the flyer with them to show all of Cameron’s friends. We were able to capture this touching moment on camera, and Cameron and his parents happily posed together.

It’s moments like these that remind us of the impact our GrandPals program has on both our young readers and their GrandPals. We’re delighted to share this story with our GrandPals community, and we can’t wait to see even more smiles as we continue our work together.

Thank you for being a part of this special journey.

Sweet Moment at Princeton Community Event

Lily

We had a heartwarming experience at a recent Princeton community event that we just had to share with our GrandPals family. Our new GrandPals brochure, featuring a photo of one of our shining pairs, was on display at the event.

About an hour into the evening, a group of moms and their children passed by our table. One of the moms stopped, her face lighting up as she pointed at the flyer. “Lily, look, this is you! You’re the face of GrandPals!” she exclaimed. Lily’s reaction was priceless — her face lit up with pure joy, and her friend was so excited for her that she couldn’t help but give her a big hug. Lily was the star on the cover!

Lily’s mom was so proud that she asked to take a few brochures and flyers to share with their friends. We captured this sweet moment on camera, and Lily posed with a big smile. We’re thrilled to share this special moment with all of you.

We look forward to seeing many more moments like this as we continue to grow our GrandPals community. Stay tuned for more stories and updates!

Renee Shields has been reading in Princeton schools as a GrandPal since 2015, except for the two years when the program was interrupted by COVID. After many years of practicing law and a few years of teaching elementary school, she returned to be a caregiver for her mother who lived to be over one hundred. “I have loved every minute, and reading to the students helped me through my period of caregiving,” she says.

“I was at one of the schools about to read and pulled my reading glasses out of my purse. I discovered there were no lenses in them. I remarked to the students, ‘Well those were my $2.00 reading glasses but I can still read.’ The next time I came to read my student asked me if I had my $2.00 reading glasses. She remembered what I had said. This reminded me that they remember every word I read or say. It ends up that the lenses had fallen out when I pulled my glasses from my purse. As we were leaving that day another GrandPal discovered them on the floor.”