Every Tuesday afternoon, fifteen-year-old Jonathan Morris from Phoenix visits elderly people who live alone in his neighborhood. Our reporter, Sophie, asked him about it.
Sophie: How did you start volunteering?
Jonathan: Two years ago, my school asked every student to choose a volunteer project. A local group was looking for teenagers to visit older neighbors. I chose it because it was close to my home — not because I loved the idea. To be honest, at first I was a little nervous.
Sophie: What do you do on your visits?
Jonathan: It depends on the person. With Mrs. Cohen, who is eighty-seven, I mostly drink tea and listen to her stories about her childhood in Morocco. For Mr. Abrams, I carry heavy shopping bags, and I read the newspaper to him because his eyes are weak.
Sophie: What is the hardest part?
Jonathan: Saying goodbye. Some of them wait for me all week, and I can see that they are sad when I leave. I always tell them exactly when I will come back, so they have something to look forward to.
Sophie: What have you learned?
Jonathan: That loneliness is a real problem, and that a small thing, like one hour a week, can make a big difference. I also learned a lot of history — more than from any textbook!