Without a doubt, the high school Class of 2020 is getting a raw deal: A plague-shortened senior year, no prom and no prospect of Pomp and Circumstance playing at a graduation ceremony surrounded by friends and family.
They are an "incredible group of young people who got dealt a bad hand and are still keeping their heads up,"
said Pa. Gov. Tom Wolf in congratulating this spring's graduating class.
Now a local family has come up with a method of honoring the Class of 2020 — a way for neighbors, friends and the community at large to "Adopt a Senior.”
Amy Gilrain of Hatfield, her daughter Amber and son Greg, have started a Facebook group,
Adopt a Senior 2020 – Montco Edition, designed to match seniors with benefactors. Families submit photos and descriptions of seniors, and create "wish lists” on Amazon.
After the Gilrains review those entries for approval, those seniors are posted and put up for "adoption.” Folks who wish to adopt send their congratulations, along with a gift chosen from that list.
"We chose Amazon because it's something you know they are going to like because it's something they wished for,” says Amy Gilrain. The gifts are not intended to be expensive – it’s the sentiment that counts – but an acknowledgement of their achievement.
The concept has proved popular. Within a week, Gilrain has matched up 58 seniors for adoption, with three more waiting and several more pending approval. Most of the adoptees to date are from the North Penn School District, with Souderton, Methacton, Norristown, and Pottstown also represented.
The group is open to all high schools in the county. "All my kids graduated from North Penn, so although North Penn will always be our favorite school district, we decided to include all Montgomery County school districts,” says Gilrain.
"We have had a lot of positive feedback since we started the group,” she says. "We are encouraging everyone to share (the FB group), as that is how these seniors will get adopted.”
Privacy is also respected – adoptees addresses are hidden and adopters can remain anonymous if they choose. And adoptive folks can choose a specific senior, or have one assigned to them.
The senior adoption movement has been spreading around the country. As of Monday, nearly 100 Adopt-a- Senior groups were active on Facebook, representing communities from Wichita Falls, Texas, to Gray’s Creek, N.C., to Polk County, Fla., to Oahu, Hawaii.
"I got the idea from a friend of mine back home in South Carolina,” says Gilrain. "Her group has reached over 1,000 seniors since she started it at the beginning of April.”
The goal is simple — to "brighten the seniors’ day,” Gilrain says. "All the seniors of 2020 have lost one of their most important milestones with this pandemic. My hope for this project is to let them know there are people out there who care and are thinking of them.”
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