Connecting generations: Grandparents Day at the museum

Evan Jones

For more than a decade, AARP Virginia has joined the Virginia Museum of Transportation in Roanoke for the VMT’s annual “Grandparents Day” as a way to help connect older residents with their grandchildren.

“One of the great parts about this museum is it helps people from the older generations to share memories and experiences from the past with their grandchildren, and that's a way to encourage bonding” said AARP Associate State Director Brian Jacks. In addition, he said, there is something valuable for the younger visitors to learn.

“The educational aspect of this museum surpasses many others. On every wall, on every airplane, train, and car, there's a lot of historical insight to be shared. And when people are having a chance to hear it, straight from their grandma and grandpa's mouth, it makes a difference, and it makes an impact in their lives.”

One of the information tables served as a preview of a major AARP focus planned statewide for November: helping caregivers. Connie Scaggs has devoted a lot of her AARP volunteer efforts in this direction in recent years, an interest born from her own experience:

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The Virginia Museum of Transportation is most noted for its collection of steam locomotives, but it displays all modes of Virginia’s transportation history and industry.