The Books & Buddies program offers students volunteer opportunities during the school year that focus on seniors, and under-served group of the community. Introduced seven years ago and piloted by Tony Gonzalez, student’s liked the idea of getting involved with seniors in nursing homes within their community. The students take field trips and spend time reading, recording memories, and interacting with residents throughout the school year. The program culminates at the end of the school year with the students assembling a memory book which is presented to the center. In addition, participating seniors are given a senior Shadow Buddy autographed by their student. Each year we serve approximately 2,826 students and 530 senior citizens.